Sunny Dawn Freeman began creating earth art after being inspired by the work of Day Schildkret at the Beloved Festival in Oregon in 2016. Upon her initial viewing of the large, impermanent morning altar created by Day, she was brought to tears by the energy of the creation.

At the OchO Arts Retreat in 2017, Sunny participated in the Land Art Course offered by Aspen Moon.  She spent the two days of her practicum collecting natural items from the eight acre property near Buhl and creating her first Earth Mandala installation, which included a quickly lashed together ‘chicken fence’ to keep the hens from pecking and scratching the art once the berries were discovered!

When Schildkret offered a workshop in Boise in 2019, Sunny attended to learn more about the deeper intention and process.  Morning Altars, as Day has termed his land art creations, are often used in a ritualistic way to create meaning at important moments in people’s lives.

In the spring of 2022 Sunny was invited to create an Earth Mandala installation at the Idaho Botanical Garden’s Land Art exhibit, and two months later led a two day workshop at the OchO Arts Retreat focused on both daily Earth Mandala creation as well as a large, collaborative Earth Mandala with her course participants.  The following spring she was invited back to create another Earth Mandala at the Idaho Botanical Garden.

Sunny has been a painter her whole life, and in the early 2000’s she began painting mandalas, so she has a natural affinity with the balanced, sacred symbol.  Although Sunny is now primarily an oil painter, with a love for painting people and nature (giving her clients a window to the natural world)  she also appreciates the opportunity to create land art and offer workshops as a way to share the process with others.