BALTIMORE COUNTY — One man is taking to social media to get people interested in his artwork. It's similar to a scavenger hunt when they find it, they get to keep it.
For those seeking an adventure, Joshua Walker has you covered. His creations are metal art that's sending those in Parkville and the surrounding areas of the city on a hunt to find his work.
"One day it was a this cool little scorpion and he posted a picture and he was like, scavenger hunt go find it,” said Jeffrey Carter who solved the first scavenger hunt. "It was really cool just the simple fact that someone was making something and then putting it out there just for free, just saying 'hey I made this really cool thing, come and get it.'"
On social media, Walker posts a picture of the piece in front of where he's hiding it, with just a hint. An idea that started during COVID.
"Everyone was in the house and no one is going out, people got to wear masks, what could I do and with the scavenger hunt the first one that's when it sparked off, once I saw people gravitating to the idea,” said Walker, creator of Jo'schwa Creations.
First, he collects the scrap metal and with a welding department at his work, he uses his lunch break to get creative.
"During the whole entire break, which is like 45 to an hour, it's just tacking things up, cutting things apart, redoing it until I finally get a understanding of how to do it and then once I get an understanding I start making pieces,” said Walker.
He's been known to hide the metal art around retail stores and parks.
“If I’m in an area and I have a few pieces with me and I’m just driving around, and it's a beautiful day lets get people outside,” said Walker.
When hiding his piece of art, he looks for places that are safe, easy to access and that blends in. Occasionally throwing in a riddle.
"For instance, one of my riddles was in Double Rock Park and a tree had fell and I say it's on top of a tree and everyone is looking, but it was literally at the end of the tree and it was at the top of it,” said Walker.
Sparking happiness to those in a time they need it most. Walker said, "I’ve heard some really good stories from people in Parkville who were going through tough times who just so happened to find a piece and it gave them a little bit of joy and a little bit of strength to go on.”
Walker hopes to raise enough money to open an art studio. In the meantime, he sells on Etsy when he's not doing the hunt.
