Long Lost Family Artworks Find a Home on Skincare Collection
The owners of the award-winning, sustainable skincare brand Pure Lakes have spoken of the joy at finding and salvaging long-lost artworks by their cherished granny and have celebrated these by creating a new product range in their honour. Beautiful, original watercolours by Patricia ‘Paddy’ Naylor, the grandmother of Claire McKeever, co-director of Pure Lakes, have been brought back to life on the packaging of the new Home Spa range and accompanying cosmetic bags. They also feature in their World Heritage range, one specially developed to celebrate the UNESCO World Heritage inscription for the Lake District National Park.
The Discovery It was the rediscovery of Paddy’s old art studio in Far Sawrey in Cumbria that inspired Claire and her husband, Gareth, co-director, to incorporate the Lake District themed watercolour paintings into their Home Spa Range. These paintings provided the inspiration for their Home Spa collection, products designed to bring a luxurious spa experience into the home, and they have now launched new cosmetics bags featuring a selection of these beautiful watercolours. Claire says: “We originally used Granny’s paintings of Windermere for our World Heritage range. This was especially fitting as the Lake District National Park’s Unesco World Heritage inscription was a cultural one celebrating the many artists, poets and creatives inspired by the beautiful landscape. I visited my late grandfather, Peter, in 2019 and he suggested we take a look at Granny’s old art studio. I hadn’t expected there to be much left of it, but I was amazed to discover it intact, hidden in the brambles and undergrowth at the back of their garden.” Inside the dusty studio the couple found easels with more of Paddy’s paintings still standing, left untouched for nearly a decade, as well as her monogrammed paintbox, now more than 80 years old, from when she studied at the Edinburgh College of Art and The Heatherley School of Fine Art in Chelsea, London. The couple was so moved by the visit they decided to explore Paddy’s work further and, on uncovering some wonderful pieces set about using them in a new Home Spa Range, one developed during the initial lockdown in 2020.
Claire adds: “We are incredibly delighted to see Granny’s beautiful artwork brought to life for more people to enjoy…” “Our products are all sustainable and hand made in the Lake District so it felt right that something that has stood the test of time, that was lovingly painted by a treasured family member on the hillside of Far Sawrey should accompany them. “She was a very modest woman, but I think she would have been proud to see her artwork celebrated in both our Home Spa products and also in our World Heritage Range in this way.”
Gift Set
The World Heritage Collection Gift Set (£26) includes a Sweet Basil & Orange Hand Wash and Hand and Body Lotion by Pure Lakes.
Reed Diffuser
The World Heritage Collection’s New Rosewood & Black Pepper Reed Diffuser by Pure Lakes retails at £28, 125ml.
Cosmetics Bag
The Cosmetics bag contains: A Pure Lakes ultra-hydrating and easily absorbed Hand Balm, Hand Wash and a 65% anti-bacterial and anti-microbial hand sanitiser with Aloe Vera and Glycerin for moisture.
