Welcome to the #Dinohunt!

I'd like to welcome anyone who is now following the hunt as a result of my promotion at the SF Zine Fest a few weeks back. Here's hoping you find yourself a free dinosaur painting, and have some fun along the way!

Just want to give a few tips before I post the next couple of hunts:

• Follow me on twitter. I like to give a little notice before I post each clue so that you can get ready. Also, if you get stuck on a hunt, or you think a clue might have gone missing, its the fastest way to get my attention. 
• Once you've followed me on the twitters, you can use the hashtag #dinohunt to let me know you'd like me to get on the ball and post a new hunt. I'm a brand new father, so I can't always get away to scheme new hunts. Knowing that you're out there waiting really motivates me! 
• If you find a painting, congratulations! Please wait at least 8-10 clues before hunting down another one, although if you want to help a friend find one, more power to you! Actually, PLEASE tell your friends, and encourage them to hunt these down. I want to spead the dino-love around.
• Remember that this is a totally DIY (or DIWO) production, made possible with funding from The Awesome Foundation. I don't get clearance to hide almost any of these clues, so the security guards / owners of the businesses where a clue might be hidden probably don't know I hid something there. They might not be to stoked on my shenanigans, so DO NOT approach these folks asking about dinosaur paintings. They most likely will have no idea what you are talking about.
• Things you might need on your hunt: comfortable shoes (I try to keep all the hunts walk-able, though with my long legs, my definition of walk-able may differ from yours), a flashlight, a smart phone (I try to keep all the hunts solvable without one, but they do help), a camera (to take pictures of the clues. If you find the painting, I really like to see your pictures of the clues afterward), paper and pencil, your wits.

Thanks! Be on the lookout for new clues shortly!

The DinoHunt Goes International!

I'm pleased to announce that there will soon be paintings hidden in Toronto (where I've visited in the past) and Australia (where I've never been!)

I will post clues as soon as they are hidden, but please help spread the word to your friends abroad!

IN OTHER NEWS!

CLUE #15 will be posted TOMORROW, hopefully before noon. Nothing like hunting for dinosaurs first thing in the morning!

CLUE #11- FOUND!

Congratulations to Kimber Morrison for recovering Dinosaur #11! 

 

The message written backward in code on the above image is: cgrebqnpgly ng gur nyonal ohyo

It's written in a code called rot13, in which you rotate the alphabet 13 places. So, "A" becomes "N" and so on. Kimber figured it out by writing it out:

 

...but you could also use this website to find the correct answer: www.rot13.com

The message translates to: pterodactyl at the albany bulb

The Albany Bulb is landfill that has been turned into an art garden by artists over the years. Sculptures made out of driftwood and scrap metal line the coast of the peninsula, along with other pieces of art that have been fabricated elsewhere and left to the elements. I haven't been out to the Bulb in several years, so I was amazed by the amount of people living out there in makeshift camps! Chalk arrows lead the hunter from the parking lot to the coastline, where the painting was lashed to a sculpture.

 

CLUE #5 - FOUND!

Congratulations to Amber for finding Dinosaur #5! Thanks for bringing it in out of the rain!

Click the picture to see Amber's dinosaur hunting adventure in South Park!

Slideshow & more clues this weekend!

As you can see, there is now a slideshow to the right that will be updated with the paintings as they are found! I'm currently painting all of my free time away cranking these little (and not so little) dinosaurs out. I usually have streaming netflix on in the background while I paint, so if anyone has any recommendations for me please leave them in the comments below (just nothing with subtitles. I gotta be painting, I can't be looking at the screen the whole time).

I'll be posting up a new clue (clues maybe?) this weekend, possibly as soon as 5pm tomorrow! Keep your eyes peeled and get those dinosaurs!

CLUE #4 - FOUND!

GO TO:

FOLLOW:

Congratulations to Corissa and Kelly for finding ANOTHER dinosaur painting!

Upon arriving at the Banksy mural in Chinatown, it was plain to see that I had covered the area in dinosaur target stickers. A small sign next to one read FOLLOW, instructing the hunter to follow the stickers through Chinatown!

Around a few corners and down a couple of alleys led the hunters to a tree next to a park. Up in the tree was the painting, wrapped in a plastic bag and suspended by a string!

More clues this weekend! Keep your eyes peeled!! Find those dinosaurs!!!



CLUE #3 - FOUND

Congratulations to Uriah Findley for tracking down Dinosaur #3!

Here's a rundown of the hunt:

Upon arrival at the Play Sculpture, located near Fairyland, there was a note left inside of the tunnel the dinosaur's neck was protruding through. It read:

Robert,

I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all week! This brontasaurus is really making it hard of the band to play! I can keep it locked up under here for a few more days, but then I’m going to have to find somewhere with more space to keep it. Your friend had better come pick up this dinosaur soon!

-James P. Edoff

This then lead to the nearby James P. Edoff Memorial Bandstand, a nearby gazebo. down a few steps to the locked gate beneath, another note:

Dear James,

Now, you know I’m glad to help, but I really need to make the hall available to the public! Keeping a dinosaur in here is NOT what I had in mind! I already have enough problems with the satanists stealing the address numbers off the building every other day! Please see to it that your friend picks up this dinosaur by Friday, or I will need to find another place where he will have more room!

Regards,

Marsha Jean Corprew

Up the hill a bit lies the Lakeside Park Garden Center, Marsha J. Corprew Memorial (the address is 666 Bellevue Avenue, the numbers whether removed by vandals or the estate of Marsha Corprew, I'm not sure...) Behind the plaque commemorating the life of Mrs. Corprew, there was another note:

Hiya Marsha,

I can keep the dinosaur over here, there’s plenty of room, and it’ll be like we’re keeping his on a leash near a huge water dish (haha). He’s a good fella, big! Hopefully, if he gets hungry he can just eat the leaves off the tree. Otherwise, I’d worry about the restaurants nearby!

See Ya Later, Alligator!

John E. McElroy

Across the lawn bowling courts behind the garden center, lies the McElroy Fountain. Inside of the fountain on a pipe was the following illustration and caption:



"I REALLY NEED TO USE THE LITTLE BOYS ROOM!"



Standing up in the fountain, clearly visable across the street is a taqueria called Los Cantaros. Inside the men's room, there is a tiny toilet next to a regular sized toilet, and inside the toilet tank (which was marked with a dino-target), placed inside a ziploc bag, was the painting!

I had a lot of fun setting up the clues for this excursion. In the future though, DO NOT REMOVE THE CLUES! Uriah pulled the first note down after finding it, so anyone who showed up after he did could not follow it to the other clues! So, the only thing you should be removing from these locations are the dinosaur paintings I leave behind. Cool? Cool.

CLUE #2 - FOUND!

Congratulations to Kelly Nabours! Please enjoy your painting!

This was the clue:

The painting was hidden inside of the Icosaspirale, a metal sculpture located at 1 Maritime Plaza!

reaching in...

unwrapping...

...and there it is!



I think the painting was recovered within 25 minutes of the clue being posted. I'll have to start making these clues harder!

(watch this space)

Wheels are in motion.

Clue #2 will be posted today...

at 12:21 PM 

CLUE #1 - FOUND!

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To those dark horses with the spirit to look up & see...

a recondite family awaits.

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The first painting has been recovered from those jack-a-naps at the Jejune Institute! Congratulations to Corissa Solis!
The Jejune Institute (which is really the entry point to the Games of Nonchalance) is a huge inspiration to this project. I went down the rabbit hole several years ago, and have a hard time describing just how awesome the whole experience has been. While the dinosaur painting is no longer at this location, I urge EVERYONE who has not taken the time to check out this experience to do so. It's the best way possible to experience the city, and it will give you quite a bit of insight into how I am thinking about hiding the rest of the dinosaurs.

Welcome to the 100 Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt!

About a year ago I completed painting 100 Robots. I had a lot of fun doing it, learned about my own abilities as an artist, and (most importantly) finished it. I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a while for my next project, and I realized I wanted to paint some other subject matter than I like: Dinosaurs!

The main problem presented to me was that I didn't want to just repeat the same sort of thing, I wanted it to have an added twist to it. So, for this project all of the paintings are FREE. Of course, rather than just handing them all out, they will all be hidden, and you'll have to find them! While the majority of these will be hidden in the bay area, I plan on having some of my friends help me hide paintings in other cities, states and countries!

Check back at noon on Tuesday, March 8th for the first clue!

This project has been made possible by:

(click to learn more about the Awesome Foundation)