Curb Appeal/Curb Unappealing

 This house was a terrible eyesore for years, and unfortunately it's right at the entrance to our neighborhood. But now? It's really lovely!

And this...I generally hate to criticize artwork--I am no artist myself--but this...um...er...hmm...it's bad, right? What IS it?

(And it's painted on a utility box, which in theory is a good idea, but in practice...not so much.)