"A Virgin's Guide to Everything" -- Newsday.com

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From the book A VIRGIN'S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING: From Sushi to Sample Sales -- A Novice's Handbook to Doing It Right by Lauren McCutcheon. Copyright © 2005 by Interesting Women Productions. Reprinted by permission of Warner Books, Inc, New York, NY. All rights reserved.

ART PURCHASE

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

-PABLO PICASSO

"Hello there, sexy," says Mark Wahlberg, his Calvin Klein underpants peeking out the top of his jeans.

"Bonjour!" shouts the pretty lady from the pastis poster.

"Welcome to the Rockies!" announces the stretch of beach/mountain range taped above your bed.

"Let's kiss!" says Usher.

"My oh my. What a darling collection of art you have, darling," observes your friend, who's just in from her first year living in Manhattan (where she developed an affinity for the word "darling").

"What's wrong with my posters?" you ask. As soon as the words leave your Juicy Tubes lips, you know the exact answer to your own question.

Your bedding is made of crisp linen the color of sea foam. Your dressing table is a family heirloom. Those pretty beads on your cat's collar?

Genuine freshwater pearls. But, honey, you've got to do something about your, um, wall aesthetic.

You know, you know. This isn't your first worldly friend to make a comment. But give you a break, right? You studied accounting in college.

The last time you set foot in an art gallery, well, have you ever set foot in an art gallery? You know you've been to a museum-on class trips-but you're not quite sure you've actually entered an actual, art-for-sale gallery. An art gallery seems so, well, intimidating. Kind of like a Gucci store. Someone might look at you and realize you're faking it.

Of course you like art. It's just that there's so much of it. And it's so expensive.

How could you afford it? Where would you start?

Virgin, have we got good news for you. Actually, our pal Laura has the good news.

GO-TO GIRL

Laura Satterfield Multitasker, Art Student, Art Dealer, and All-around Nice Person

"The art world is there for you to grab." This is how Laura starts a conversation. We are intrigued. Then we learn the co-owner of South La Brea Gallery spends her spare time working as a docent at L.A.'s Hammer Museum, doing marketing for the performing arts, majoring in art, and still finding time to effuse about her passion for art. Her sparkly outlook is enough to convert us to art lovers in a wink of the Mona Lisa. The mission of Laura's gallery: "To help not only emerging artists, but also emerging collectors. Collecting for the first time can be so intimidating. So, we've built ourselves around being a place that can be more comfortable."