For over 25 years Pure Art has been dedicated to promoting local artists by exhibiting and selling their work in the gallery and gift shop.

For owner Debbie van der Bol, Pure Art is much more than a business: it’s a century-old family home, now filled with art, jewellery and probably the largest array of gift items on the island. It also represents the owner’s commitment to supporting the talented community of artists who call the Cayman Islands home. An artist herself, she understands they need the commercial exposure in order to make their painting a viable occupation.

The building that houses Pure Art’s treasure trove of artwork and gift items is a typical old Caymanian home that has been in the owner’s family for generations. It is a superb example of traditional Caymanian architecture with original wooden floors and tongue and groove walls. Despite being more than 100 years old, the cottage came through Hurricane Ivan unscathed and today, simply wandering from room to room admiring the contents, is an experience not to be missed.

Some of the rooms are dedicated to original works of art, others to prints and yet others to gifts and housewares. Because it is a home, and many of the paintings are hung on the walls already, Debbie believes it gives customers a better sense of how the art will look and feel in their own home.

In addition to established artists such as Mark Frazer, John Broad, Gordon Solomon and Maureen Anderson, Pure Art exhibits and sells works by emerging talents as well. A huge collection of prints and some spectacular underwater photographs are also available.

Supporting local art is not limited to painters however, and Pure Art stocks artistic creations and crafts of all kinds. Although the main focus is on items produced in Cayman, there is also a wide selection of goods from neighbouring Caribbean islands. 

Local crafts such as the woven thatch, patchwork cushions and quilts are all made by Caymanians using age old techniques. Many Caribbean-inspired decorative items line the shelves: there are chopping boards and trays made from local hardwoods, conch shell lamps, Christmas decorations made from shells, beads and mangrove roots as well as hand painted baubles.

The housewares section is proving particularly popular with Cayman Islands placemats, matching platters, servers and etched crystal as well as colourfully painted plates and bowls.

A wide selection of handmade jewellery uses local materials for something totally unique:  polished Caymanite, black and white whelk shell and the deep pink of conch shells. There are bracelets and necklaces made from seeds and black coral pendants.

For the epicurean there are locally made pepper jellies, hot sauces, local sea salt and Caribbean spices, while  ladies will delight in all natural soaps and body lotions.

Browsing in this quirky, colourful gift shop is a real must while in Cayman and the absolute best place to find tasteful mementoes, unusual gifts and charming keepsakes. If you want to take a little touch of Cayman home with you, this is the place to find it.