Police Investigate After Sculptures Stolen From Artist's Yard

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore police are investigating after sculptures and raw materials were stolen from an artist's yard in Hampden.

Mike Schuh has more.

If you've ever experienced the holiday magic on 34th Street and walked the entire block, you'll remember sculptor Jim Pollock's house.

His is a magical place year round. Great rough sculptures greet you---some wood, some metal, all fascinating.

He mostly works in metal.

"It was just about leaning up against the fence and since it was so overgrown, you could barely see it," Pollock said.

"It" is a metal bird made out of pickaxe heads. It's four hundred pounds and worth $1,800, so it didn't just fly away.

"And by Sunday, I looked up and said, `Hey, there's something missing,'" he said. "There are a lot of things gone and the lock had been cut, and it's like, `Oh, man!'"

Not just the bird but raw materials like plow heads and big gears.

"I hated losing the stuff I was going to make art out of. That's the stuff of my potential," Pollock said.

Art lovers, pranksters, scrappers, drunks or deviants, Jim doesn't care---he just wants his stuff returned. If it's too heavy, he'll even help unload.

"The best compliment you can give an artist is to steal his work. The worst compliment is to bring it back," he said.

Anyone who sees "the bird" can call police or knock on Jim's door on 34th Street. You can't miss it.

Other Local News: