Splashy pieces of outdoor art are right up Thomas Roth's alley. Literally.

The local landlord donated the "canvas" for an eye-catching, 80-foot-long mural along the alley off 23rd Street between K and L streets.

Now a second mural - on an adjacent Roth-owned building - is about to get under way.

"We're thinking it will be portraits of movie stars," says Roth, who's the chief benefactor of the Midtown Alley Project (MAP), which utilizes dozens of local artists to bring a flourish to neglected alleyways.

Also in the works: murals a block east of the original and at 2518 B St., near the B Street Theatre.

The project, originally spearheaded by artists Kristina McClanahan and Clare Bailey, is privately funded by Roth and not part of a separate effort to upgrade key alleyways in downtown and in midtown.

What's motivating Roth to lend his building walls and spend more than $10,000 for lighting, paving and other alley improvements? Simple. "It enlivens the area," he says, bringing visitors to overlooked parts of the city, while encouraging a sense of community.

Bailey, a gallery owner who painted a square on the 23rd Street mural, envisions a day when visitors can walk through midtown with headphones - like those available at museums - listening to art commentary on various midtown sites.

The first MAP mural features the works of nearly 60 artists, including well-known painters Steve Memering, Skip Lee and Vicki Asp.

So far, it has been untouched by taggers. That's partly a credit to the five coats of "Graffiti X" sealer applied over the paintings.

But here's another reason: Roth and Bailey specifically invited a few graffiti artists and stencil taggers to contribute to the first tapestry. And not just any taggers. Only the top tier.

"There's a hierarchy among them," Bailey explains.

If a respected tagger marks his territory, others back off.

Man bites shark

Speaking of outlaw art, Paul Watts - owner of a graffiti removal company - walked away empty-handed on last week's edition of ABC's "Shark Tank," a reality TV show.

He appeared as a contestant, seeking $350,000 to help spur the nationwide franchising of Graffiti Removal Services, his Citrus Heights business. Watts pitched the show's panel of five cutthroat venture capitalists: Two of the VC "sharks" bit on his proposal.

But, in return for capital, they wanted 75 percent ownership of his business - not the 15 percent Watts was offering.

The local entrepreneur turned it down, drawing an irate response from VC shark Kevin O'Leary.

"What do you mean 'no'? There is no 'no,' " O'Leary shouted. If Watts was rejecting the offer, O'Leary added, "You're dead to me."

Watts turned it down and tells us he's received dozens of e-mails and calls supporting his decision.

Why the Godfather-like response from O'Leary? Watts speculates that the Hollywood venture capitalist "didn't want me, a blue-collar guy with a high-school education, telling him I wouldn't be steamrollered."

Nailing some financing

Call it a leg up for the Chico developer of technology aimed at eliminating toenail fungus.

PinPointe USA just closed a "multimillion-dollar" venture financing deal with Western Technology Investment of Silicon Valley.

The money will be used to expand sales of the company's laser machines already used in 40 states, as well as Germany and the United Kingdom, says founder John Strisower.

The next overseas targets: Australia and New Zealand, where the company's technology recently received government clearance.

Strisower says the WTI cash comes with better terms than traditional capital funding. "It's a testament to our success," he says, "because this type of funding is reserved for companies that are on a growth tear and profitable."

Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit.