The Nelson Art Friends hopes to keep the flame burning for the love of art by putting a new twist on an old tradition at its 13th annual Valentine auction.

Rather than visit a campus art gallery, the public is invited to visit a virtual gallery on the Internet at http://www.nelsongallery.info/valentines. There, people can place a silent bid on work by 15 top-notch Californian artists.

The final bidding for the art auction will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Davis home of Lois and Barry Ramer. Guests will be asked to donate $50 to attend, and tickets are limited. Call (530) 754-6590 for information.

"The board of the Nelson Art Friends and I decided to reinvigorate the event by separating the fundraising aspect from the community activity," said Renny Pritikin, director of the Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Arts Collection.

Pritikin, who joined UC Davis in 2004 after a long stint as director of the Yerba Buena Arts Center in San Francisco, parlayed his and his board members' contacts in the art world to obtain the 15 donations.

The artists include Gary Bukovnik, a water colorist who is known for his masterful flower paintings and has published two coffee-table art books; Michael Light, who re-photographs out-of-this-world Apollo 12 moon pictures and has also produced two coffee-table art books; David Miles, who donated a paper mobile depicting suicide; ceramicist Richard Shaw, an alumnus and Robert Arneson protégé who teaches at UC Berkeley; and photographer Jona Frank, who has also produced a coffee-table art book of high-school portraits.

The board and Pritikin hope that the new approach will increase financial interest in supporting the campus's largest art gallery and collection.

At the same time he and the campus art support group are planning a festive summer community event that will involve local artists.

To attend the live auction on Feb. 11, send a check for $50 a person, payable to "UC Regents" to: Nelson Gallery, Art Department, UC Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616. Seasons Restaurant in Davis is one of the major sponsors for the event.