ASTORIA — A street artist has covered Astoria with mysterious small works of art this week, prompting a mini-treasure hunt on Twitter.
"There's going to be a huge Artsplosion in about 36 hours!" artist Dave Smith wrote on his Twitter feed Sunday. "Be on the lookout on every corner, Astoria!"
Since then, his works — different colorful designs stenciled on small squares of cardboard — have popped up around the neighborhood, posted on shop windows and the front doors of buildings.
The creations include stencils of a cicada, a lion's head, a hand print, and a silhouette of a woman, among others.
Residents who've stumbled across the free art have taken to post about their finds on Twitter and Instagram.
"Just found this on my door and it made my day! Love your work!" one person wrote.
"Just found another! Now I'm on a mission!" another person tweeted.
Smith wrote on his website last month that he plans on making 5,000 paintings this summer, saying he intended to give most of them away for free.
"Every artist has a different idea on what exactly it means to be an artist," he write. "For me, this summer, it has something to do with quantity."
