(Gunvor Nelson and Dorothy Wiley, 1971, USA)
70 min, 16mm Projection

Five Artists is a loving portrait of quintessential California artists: The painters, sculptors and filmmakers William Allen, William Geis, Robert Hudson, Robert Nelson and William T. Wiley. A collaboration between two of Canyon Cinema’s earliest members, Gunvor Nelson and Dorothy Wiley, the film takes a personal look at the lives of these close friends: at home with their families, at work in the studio, teaching, fishing, drawing together, at parties, openings and elsewhere. Alternating between color and black-and-white footage, Nelson and Wiley use non-synchronous comments and music by the artists mixed with impressions by friends and acquaintances—creating a delicate collage of the complexities of everyday life, family relationships and the circle to which they all belonged. One of five works co-authored by Gunvor Nelson and Dorothy Wiley, Five Artists reflects the communal spirit that has become synonymous with the early days of Canyon Cinema.

Prints courtesy of Canyon Cinema.