Whether it was the Medici's commissioning work in Renaissance Florence, or Gainsbourgh being paid to paint portraits of the new middle class in the eighteenth century, the big patrons of the arts have been businessmen.

Now a store in Bermuda has taken a leaf out of history's book and commissioned a Bermudian artist to create a work of art to call its own.

The subject of the painting -- which will hang on the walls of the Phoenix Centre -- will not, however, be kings and queens or even any of the great and the good. Instead it will depict the well-known faces of cartoon characters.

Their portraits will grace the blank wall on the way down to the children's section at the Phoenix Centre in Reid Street, Hamilton.

Artist Jennifer Stobo is painting well loved characters like the Cat in the Hat, Scooby-Doo et al, and Buzz Lightyear onto boards which will be attached to the walls for a huge mural.

Miss Stobo was approached by The Phoenix Stores marketing manager, Mrs.

Pauline Girling, who wanted to brighten up the area with child-like animated characters to make the approach to the downstairs toy department more enticing.

Store's bright idea According to Miss Stobo, they were looking for a feel like that in F.A.O.

Schwartz, the toy store of America in New York, much like Hamleys in London.

"The mural was a solution to the problem of a dull area that needed to be brightened up going into the Toy Department,'' said Miss Stobo. "They wanted fun things that would take you down to the lower floor.'' The artist has created a 35-foot mural with acrylic on board, which she has been working on for the past month.

Other figures include Pokeman, Silvester & Tweety, Winnie the Pooh, and Rugrats.

The mural should be in place by next week.