Local Life

Scene Around: For the Love & Art of Cooper Ley

Gallery

It has been said that to honor someone best who has passed is to craft a remembrance of them as they lived — in all their color, vibrance and black-and-white finite detail. A sketch, a painting, a doodle expressing the intricate beauty within a soul.

And there’s no better way to remember an artist than to show and appreciate their work and, better yet, sell it at a price most can afford and have the proceeds benefit those in need.

That’s just what RFH 2011 grad Thomas “Cooper” Ley’s sister Adrienne did on Sunday when she pulled together a pop-up art show at Wild Air Beerworks in Asbury Park on what would have been Cooper’s 31st birthday.

Family, friends, fellow artists, and admirers, still stunned by the loss and the artist’s talent, mingled, admired and honored the memory of Cooper, buying prints of his work, the proceeds of which are to benefit Jersey Shore Rescue Mission and The Art Therapy Project.

A sister’s mission to make the world a better place with the art and memory of her brother was a success. “And there will be more,” she said.

“Thank you to everyone who came to Cooper’s pop-up today!” Adrienne, also an RFH grad, said. “Sold out of almost everything and made over $1,000 🩵💙. Can’t wait for the next one!”

Cheers to the artist and the gift he left behind! Well done, Coop. You are, indeed, remembered.

Take a look at the gallery below for a glimpse into the day. (Click on one photo to enlarge and scroll.)The dog? That’s Adrienne’s Tucker, who made an appearance in a Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade a few years ago.