PHILADELPHIA, PA.-Philadelphia Print Collaborative is pleased to introduce its fifth annual Philadelphia Invitational Portfolio: a portfolio of fine art prints published annually by area artists and print shops. An upcoming 5th anniversary exhibition at Silicon Gallery, 139 North 3rd Street in Old City, Philadelphia, will present the entire portfolio collection to date, including the newly-published 2005 portfolio. The exhibit runs from November 4th though the 26th with an opening reception First Friday, November 4th from 6 to 8:30pm.

The publication of the 5th annual Philadelphia Invitational Portfolio is cause to celebrate five years of commitment to serving the Philadelphia art community by creating opportunities for artists, collectors and print shops.

The 2005 artists are: Katie Baldwin, nationally exhibited bookbinder and printmaker who recently studied traditional Japanese woodblock printing at the Nagasawa Art Park in Japan; Daniel A. Heyman, painter and printmaker who shows regularly at 55 Mercer Gallery in NYC, was a 2004 Challenge artist at Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial and whose artwork Gay City News’ David Spiher describes as “sizzling with line, color and pattern”; Maximillian P. Lawrence, a founding member of Space 1026 and member of Vox Populi whose work has been exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art and SPECTOR Gallery in Philadelphia, The Butcher Shop in Chicago, Lump Gallery in North Carolina, and other vibrant venues in New York, the Midwest and Europe; Dennis Lo, printmaker and comic book artist of Blink who has exhibited his work in Rome, Philadelphia and Montreal and whose cartoon-like imagery, layered text and personal material is turning heads; Tristin Lowe, mixed-media artist and Pew Fellow who has exhibited his work extensively in Philadelphia including at Vox Populi, Rosenbach Museum and Library, Basekamp and the Project Room and whose colossal installation of “fe fi fo fum” was the first artist residency at Girard College; Natasha Pestich, who has exhibited at Vox Populi, 3rd Street Gallery and The Philadelphia Foundation in Philadelphia and whose recent body of work “Resident Alien” gives voice to persons living as ex-patriots in the United States; Diane Pieri, accomplished painter who has exhibited at Rosenfeld Gallery, Swarthmore College, The More Gallery in Philadelphia, and whose work is in collections in the United States, China, Japan and Romania; William Smith, a Pew and a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellow known for his densely layered landscapes who has exhibited throughout the United States including The Delaware Art Museum, LittleJohn Contemporary Gallery in New York, Jan Baum Gallery in Los Angeles and at Schmidt/Dean Gallery in Philadelphia.

One highlight of the 2005 portfolio is the growing trend of using digital and alternative media to create prints. Dennis Lo and Natasha Pestich’s works were both printed at Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints, which specializes in digital work. In addition, Tristin Lowe’s image was “printed” at Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper by scorching paper with burning electric coils. This particular example of alternative media signifies the success of portfolio artists’ collaborations with master printers and the resulting fresh responses to the challenge.

Portfolio 2005 prices are tiered: the price goes up as prints are sold. Prices begin at $340 per print and $1700 per portfolio.