Crime of the Week

Outsider art.

Having been a somewhat successful visual artist for two decades and having also worked as an art critic for a few years, I should probably be more sympathetic to this poor, deluded soul, who thinks he is doing the neighborhood—or perhaps history—a favor by displaying his sculptures and paintings in his front yard.

But no amount of "contextualizing," "deconstruction," or just plain indulgence can excuse this streetside eyesore. I would offer the artist the advice—gained from experience—not to quit his day job, but he doesn't seem to have one: he can be seen puttering around outside this Sherman Oaks shanty-cum-studio almost any day, adding refining touches to his life's work.