David Zinn is a street artist like no other. Instead of doing murals and covering walls with graffiti art, Zinn opted to decorate the sidewalks of his city—Ann Arbor, Michigan—with intricate small-scale drawings.
Zinn has been creating street art in and around Ann Arbor since 1987, but he still encounters a blank canvas almost every time he goes out on the street. This is because he purposely chooses to draw with chalk and pastel, making his art vulnerable to elements and limited in time.
However, the temporary nature of his works makes them even more unique, especially to those who managed to spot them under their feet. Also, it gives the artist more motivation to use the sunny days to their fullest.
“There’s a moral imperative to get outside because it’s not going to last. And my idea of a nice day has drastically expanded,” Zinn explained in a recent interview.
The fact that his works don’t last long also helps Zinn to avoid run-ins with the law. While his works could be viewed as graffiti, making them illegal in Ann Arbor, he gets by thanks to the fact he isn’t making permanent changes to the city’s property.
Zinn’s small-scale drawings have made him a minor celebrity in his city and brought him recognition worldwide and on social media. He currently has almost 800L followers on Instagram, where he regularly shares his artwork. Check out more of them below.
