Mysterious Artist Leaves Mosaic Pieces Around Long Island Town

A mysterious, anonymous artist has recently been leaving artwork around areas within the Town of Islip.

The tile mosaic art pieces of cartoons and characters from video games have been appearing in various spots across the town.

According to a post on their Facebook page, members of the Islip Chamber of Commerce said they spoke to a source close to the artist, who has roots in Islip and chooses to remain anonymous for several reasons.

The source told the chamber members that the artist got the inspiration for his art from the French urban artist, "Invader," whose work is based on the pixellation of 1970s and 1980s 8-bit video games.

"With this inspiration behind our Islip artist, he wanted to do something to get kids and families out from behind the TV and exploring the community," the Facebook post reads.

The artist has left his artwork in public locations in over 65 cities in 33 countries.

Residents have loved seeing the art around the area. However, after a while the art begins to disappear. It is unknown why the artwork suddenly vanishes.

Lisa Nasta and her 9-year-old son Mason like to go out and take photos of the art before they disappear.

"We all really enjoy discovering and seeing the art in our town," Nasta said. "The artist also has left out framed prices of art for us to discover if we are lucky enough to find one."

Local resident Victoria Friday also said she thinks the artwork around town is great for both kids and adults alike.

"Even as an adult I love a new find," she said. "It's a shame that people are removing such great works of art that the kids can enjoy."

Check out the photos shared the two local residents of the art they found.

Photos 1-6 courtesy of Lisa Nasta

Photos 7-8 courtesy of Victoria Friday