Long Island Artist Begins Gabby Petito Mural In Blue Point

BLUE POINT, NY—Blue Point was Gabby Petito's hometown on Long Island, and now one artistic memorial will remain a permanent reminder of the slain 22-year-old's impact on her community and beyond. This week, East Islip native and artist Tess Parker began a mural of the now-iconic image of Petito standing in front of an angel wings on the side of a building on Montauk Highway in Blue Point.

Parker told Patch that the idea for the mural came about when she wanted to reach out and help Petito's family but didn't know how to other than to offer her artistic talents. She asked around the Blue Point business owners' community in search of a suitable wall and reached out to Petito's parents, Jim and Nicole Schmidt, who live in Blue Point. They gave their blessing and worked with Parker on the vision for the mural.

Local business owner Patricia Byrne Blair offered the side of a shopping center across from King Kullen, with a vantage point that would allow the mural to be seen by traffic on Montauk Highway. But Parker needed a way for the brick wall to be paintable so she took to Facebook and social media to see if any local mason would volunteer their time.

Within a day or two, everything came together and Parker began painting.

"It became such a community effort," she said.

Parker is a professional muralist and artist who has also worked in art therapy as a way to treat individuals and communities emotionally. She painted the side of West Sayville's post office last year amid the difficulties of the pandemic.

Parker's mural of the now-famous image of Petito smiling in front of angel wings is expected to be finished next week. The picture of Petito became an international symbol of the case that has touched people around the world. It's also become a touchpoint image for the newly-formed Gabby Petito Foundation that aims to help families searching for missing loved ones.

Parker wants to respect the wishes of the Petito and Schmidt families and keep the mural a personal, quiet affair and the families take the lead on its publicity, she said.

Joseph Petito, Gabby Petito's father, thanked Parker for her efforts in a social media post on Thursday.

"A huge thank you to Tess Parker @therapeuticmurals for what she has done so far with the mural in Blue Point. It looks amazing, and I’m sure when it’s complete, it will look beautiful."

Wyoming officials recently announced Petito's homicide was due to strangulation and a search for her missing boyfriend is still underway.