Art Com

For underground art aficionados, the website deviant ART.com may be the ultimate in eye candy. Home to 12 million works by the site's 1.5 million members, it bills itself as the world's largest online art community -- and one of the best opportunities for fans of painting, photography, graphic arts and other genres to view and buy art on the cheap. Now the site is testing the waters of reality.

For underground art aficionados, the website deviant ART.com may be the ultimate in eye candy. Home to 12 million works by the site's 1.5 million members, it bills itself as the world's largest online art community -- and one of the best opportunities for fans of painting, photography, graphic arts and other genres to view and buy art on the cheap. Now the site is testing the waters of reality.

Michael Asher, the groundbreaking L.A. conceptual artist and veteran CalArts teacher, died Sunday night after a long illness. He was 69. A teacher at CalArts since the early 1970s, Asher was famous in the classroom for his wit and candor -- and also his endurance. His marathon "crit" (critique) sessions, designed to review student work, could by his own account run from 10 a.m. to midnight. "I throw away the clock," he once told me. His own artwork is often described as institutional critique or engagement -- work that grows out of the particular conditions of a museum or gallery environment.

IN-N-OUT'S FUTURE: Southland burger chain In-N-Out has prospered for years as an independent institution. But the family-owned business has reached a crossroads. 'DOT-COM' DREAMS: The founders of IncredibleArt.com, a Culver City Internet firm, are living the dreams--and nightmares--of Americans trying to make it as entrepreneurs today.

I am the president of BighouseArt.com, a nonprofit organization that promotes artwork created by prison inmates. I wanted to thank you for mentioning our organization in the Oct. 15 website article "Where to Buy Prison Art in the U.S. and Abroad" by Judith Fein [latimes.com /prisontravel]. Most people do not understand the caliber of artistic talent in our correctional institutions, so hopefully the article provided some insight into arts in the prison system. Raymond Baron Marysville, Wash.

This art gallery cost about a billion dollars less to build than the new Getty. But for all of the Getty's sleek modernism, Jon Peterson's site for viewing art is even more cutting-edge. And to visit Peterson's gallery, there's no need to battle crowds, book reservations or board a tram. All one needs to view the work at this virtual gallery is a computer and a modem. "Every artist should have a chance to show their work," says Peterson, an abstract painter and creator of http://www.w3art.com.

IncredibleArt.com (http://www.incredibleart.com) was created in 1998 to sell wall art over the Internet to retail customers. The initial business plan of founders Ed Mullen, 26, and his brother, Geoffrey, 24, was to offer original art and posters of artists from Monet to Warhol at 25% to 45% below typical retail prices. IncredibleArt.

If Happy Puppy is a lesson in how some people manage to make money on the Internet, Jon Peterson's World Wide Web site is a lesson in how the Web can pay in other ways, even as Peterson himself still hopes someday to profit. Peterson's site, w3art at http://w3art.com, brings together a variety of Los Angeles-based artists who wouldn't otherwise achieve this level of exposure. There are lots of art sites on the Net, but I was struck by the freshness and variety of the work here.

Spain by train TELEPHONES To call these numbers from the U.S., dial 011 (international dialing code), 34 (Spain's country code) and the nine-digit number. IF YOU GO Fare for the Renfe high-speed AVE train from Barcelona to Madrid, and vice versa, is about $156, if purchased the day of travel. Tickets also can be found online for as little as $75. The Renfe website, www.renfe.es/horarios/english /index.html , can be maddening, and you must use Internet Explorer and Windows for best results.

What is believed to be the world's largest iPhone arts festival is headed to Santa Monica on Saturday, unifying a community dedicated to making art on its mobile devices for the first time at this scale. The L.A. Mobile Arts Festival will kick off Saturday at 7 p.m. and be held at the Santa Monica Art Studios. More than 600 pieces of mobile art will be showcased. Though the festival focuses mostly on art produced on iPhones, it will also feature some artists using other devices, including the iPad.

Dear Karen: I'd like to sell my paintings. I have about 100 pieces in oil and watercolor. How do I start? Answer: Start by identifying local galleries and attending art fairs in your area. Study which kinds of works certain outlets specialize in and find those that are suitable for your style, said Moti Shniberg, founder of MutualArt.com. "If you think that your work is a fit for a particular gallery, go to an opening there and introduce yourself to the staff," he said.