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The rumors are true: George Zimmerman is a painter now.


And his first creation, which was listed on EBay this week, has sparked a bidding war that has pushed its price up from a starting point of $0.99 to almost $100,000 as of Tuesday morning. It's a blue American flag featuring part of the Pledge of Allegiance.

"Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself," the EBay posting from user therealgeorgez reads. "I found a creative, way to express myself, my emotions and the symbols that represent my experiences. My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet and allows me to remain indoors :-)"

And Zimmerman is also -- like Casey Anthony, the most famous Florida defendant before he came along -- in debt: In a legal filing for his most recent arrest, he claimed to be at least $2 million in debt, with no home and less than $150 in cash.

Which must make a $100,000 painting look awful pretty in its creator's eyes. Zimmerman's attorney, Jayne C. Weintraub of Miami, confirmed the authenticity of the EBay posting with the Los Angeles Times. "Yes, it is my client, George Zimmerman, selling his paintings," Weintraub said in an email.

[Updated 10:16 a.m. PDT Dec. 17: The work's originality, though, has already been questioned. Side-by-side photos show that Zimmerman's flag may have been copied from a Shutterstock photo of an American flag.] http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-george-zimmerman-pain
ting-ebay-20131217,0,1342850.story#axzz2nlZFqWbT]

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