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David Zinn is an artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is well-known for his “ephemeral art,” created on the streets and composed entirely of chalk, charcoal, and random objects found on the premises. Cracks, holes, and small grooves are enough for Zinn to notice the figures they suggest and that’s where he gets most of his inspiration from; his work is done on the go.

Another interesting fact is that David has been drawing since 1987, making various quirky chalk-and-charcoal creatures in site-specific areas that helped the drawings wash away with the rain. As of now, the artist has become known worldwide and his work alone has gained him over 384k followers on Instagram and 458k followers on Facebook.

More info: Instagram | twitter.com | Facebook

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#1

Artist creating street art of a quirky green dragon character on a brick wall using bright green chalk.

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David Zinn takes a playful approach to drawing and his work, and the artist has even had his work featured in the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) back in 2018, where he worked on a “path” that went through outdoor spaces, letting the museum visitors explore and wander to discover Zinn’s playful creatures and designs that were scattered around.

Given all of that, Bored Panda reached out to the artist:

"The honest truth about my art is that I am inspired by the absence of perfection as a possibility: between the irregularities of the stained concrete and the limited hours of available daylight outdoors, perfection is blessedly not an option. Instead, there is just the lunatic joy of finding the most satisfying option that exists within those limitations."

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    #2

    Street art piece showing a quirky character climbing out of a hole between cobblestones in an outdoor setting.

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    For more than twenty years, Zinn freelanced for a wide variety of commercial clients while simultaneously sneaking “pointless” art into the world at large. His professional commissions included theatrical posters, business logos, educational cartoons, landfill murals, environmental superheroes, corporate allegories, and hand-painted dump trucks, and his less practical creations involved bar coasters, restaurant placemats, cake icing, and snow. Now, thanks to the temptations of a box of sidewalk chalk on an unusually sunny day, Mr. Zinn is known all over the world for the art he creates under his feet.

    #3

    Street art of a quirky green character holding a giant cookie on the pavement, showcasing adventures of quirky characters.

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    Most of his creatures appear on sidewalks in Michigan, but many have surfaced as far away as subway platforms in Manhattan, village squares in Sweden, and street corners in Taiwan. His most frequent characters are Sluggo (a bright green monster with stalk eyes and irreverent habits) and Philomena (a phlegmatic flying pig), but the diversity of David's work and characters seems to be limited only by the size of the sidewalk and the overall spirit of the day.

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    #4

    Street art piece showing quirky mice characters by open door on sidewalk curb near plants in urban setting.

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    #5

    Street art featuring quirky characters painted inside tree stumps surrounded by red mulch in an outdoor setting.

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    #6

    Child interacts with street art featuring quirky characters and an adventurous scene near a sidewalk drain.

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    #7

    Street art featuring quirky characters showing a cat and mouse adventure painted in a stone wall niche.

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    #8

    Street art piece shows a quirky green character waving from a cracked wall, highlighting adventures in urban art.

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    #9

    Chalk street art of quirky characters showing an underwater adventure surrounded by autumn leaves on pavement.

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    #10

    Chalk street art of a quirky green character raking autumn leaves on a residential sidewalk, showcasing adventures of quirky characters.

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    #11

    Sidewalk street art featuring quirky characters by this artist interacting with a pole, creating a 3D adventure scene.

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    #12

    Street art featuring quirky characters painted inside a hole on a grassy path with stepping stones nearby.

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    #13

    Street art of a quirky turtle character with a green plant as its shell painted on pavement near stone wall.

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    #14

    Street art chalk drawing of a quirky green creature emerging from a cracked pavement with colorful chalks nearby.

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    #15

    Street art featuring quirky characters with a robot animal and a rabbit interacting with a pipe on a sidewalk corner.

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    #16

    Street art featuring quirky character of a rabbit painted inside a tree hollow with vegetables outside on a sunny day.

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    #17

    Street art piece of a quirky character, a painted mouse peeking out from a brick wall corner, showcasing adventurous street art.

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    #18

    Street art on a sidewalk showing quirky characters with a small figure next to a sunflower with a fire hydrant nearby in winter.

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    #19

    Street art featuring quirky characters with a cat holding a pink balloon and another relaxing on a chair on urban concrete steps.

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    #20

    Street art featuring quirky characters with a bear wearing headphones emerging from cracked pavement next to a small mouse.

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    #21

    Street art featuring quirky characters digging beneath a cracked sidewalk next to green grass in an urban setting.

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    #22

    Street art featuring quirky characters appearing from a hidden manhole on a paved urban sidewalk.

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    #23

    Street art of a quirky character dressed as a green dinosaur, blending animal and playful costume in a creative mural.

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    #24

    Street art featuring quirky characters with a mouse knitting on a stone and another peeking from leaves.

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    #25

    Hand drawing quirky character street art with wings on concrete, showcasing adventures of whimsical figures by artist.

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    #26

    Street art piece featuring quirky characters, a green frog and small mouse, painted on a brick wall showcasing adventures.

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    #27

    Street art of quirky character holding pink balloon inside a brick sidewalk with sky background in a hole.

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    #28

    Street art featuring quirky characters, including a green creature fishing a star for a happy mouse on concrete steps.

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    #29

    Street art piece showing a quirky green character interacting with a large paintbrush on the sidewalk.

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    #30

    Street art piece of a quirky green character with antennae sledding on a concrete step outdoors in a grassy area.

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