Westwood Homeless, Brilliant Painter

A familiar face to many of the students attending UCLA living in Westwood village. William Laga, characterized as a tall, slender, and shabbily dressed homeless man, could often be found at the corner somewhere by CPK, strolling about and often mumbling to himself. The schizophrenic man, who has lived on the streets for more then three decades, finds peace for his shattered mind on a blank canvas with an array of colors. He makes a weekly trek of 16mi to Pierce College to sit in on art classes and take a weekly shower at their gym. However, his story remained unknown to the countless bystanders about him.

On Christmas Eve of last year, art patron, Marcelle Danan, stumbled across him as he sought refugee from the rain. Seeing his innate talent she brought him to her house, and for the next few months supplied him with art supplies to fuel his passion. With the help of Danan, Laga has begun to sell his paintings and is becoming a internationally recognized painter. He is currently working in Paris, France. The story originally aired on KCAL 9.

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