SPARTANBURG, SC - The first half of 1997 has been very rewarding for professional photographer David Allio. In February, a single piece of his fine art nude photography was selected for exhibition in Pisa, Italy. In May, a complete portfolio of his work entitled Portraits of Lisa Collection was exhibited in Barcelona, Spain. By the end of June, his fine art images had received eight awards worldwide.

A single print, "Lisa Queen," from the "Portraits of Lisa" collection was selected for exhibition at the prestigious Pisa Gallery. Only 26 images were selected for display from over 5,500 entries. In the final judging, the 1997 Five-Star Award (best of show) went to a renowned New York photographer. Previously an "unknown" in international fine art competition, Allio's image earned the Four-Star Award.

"This has been an incredible six months," Allio said. "After spending nearly ten years of my 25 years as a professional photographer creating unique fine art nudes from traditional photographs, primarily for private exhibition, suddenly my images are in demand for professional exhibition - especially in Europe. It is extremely gratifying to have others in the visual art world embrace your creative work."

Since the Italian contest and exhibition, Allio has received invitations to display his nudes at galleries and museums in three different German cities, plus additional showings in England, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden. Allio's next scheduled public show is set for Frankfort, Germany, in September.

Allio's fine art images are a combination of traditional photography and newly developed digital enhancement techniques. The finished color art works in the "Portraits of Lisa" collection all began as black-and-white figure images of amateur American models.

David Allio is a graduate of the University of Virginia, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Communications and Visual Arts. A resident of Virginia for over 40 years, David, his wife, and two children have maintained dual residency in Southwest Virginia and the Upstate of South Carolina since 1996.