"When I came over to Ireland in 2002 and saw all the evidence of economic development in places such as the Docklands and Sandyford, I knew it was a good time to start a business like this, " she says. The business in question is The Big Picture, Cairin's one-woman enterprise, selling sourced oil paintings, sculptures and wall-hangings by Irish artists to primarily corporate and business clients.

"I focus on marketing larger works . . . some of the paintings are as big as two metres by one metre . . . which are well suited to the large, modern office blocks you see being erected today, " she says. Some of her clients include Enterprise Bank Massachusetts, Docklands Innovation Park and Whitney Moore Solicitors.

"While it might be the case that some managers wouldn't see art as essential, a lot of Irish people have an active interest in art and have been exposed to it and would want to see paintings in their buildings, " she says.

Cairin liaises with a group of about eight artists from around the country with whose work she is intimately familiar and who can provide the type of traditional and abstract paintings her clients are usually interested in.

"If you're talking to someone who knows nothing of art, you know to offer them something conservative . . . perhaps a seascape. If you're dealing with an art enthusiast they'll be more open to something abstract, " she explains.

One of the artists in her database is Terry Coyle from Donegal who won the Paul Henry Landscape Award at the Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition in Belfast last September. And Pat Jennings from Naas, NCAD's student of the year in 2005, is also a regular supplier of work.

"I'd often commission something, especially if it was for an entrance hall or a boardroom requiring a particularly large piece, " she says. 'While I'd know the artist's work anyway, I might give them some advice on colour, say, or size. It can be a bit risky, I know, but so far I haven't commissioned anything that's subsequently been rejected."

Cairin believes her informal and accommodating approach to doing business gives her an advantage over the art galleries she's in competition with.

"I go and look at the space and meet the client, " she explains. "That approach allows me to go away, think about their requirements, and then come back with some suggestions.

"Sometimes I'd bring a piece along with me, maybe to an office, and leave it there for a week to see what the staff make of it. They may not have been enthusiastic in the beginning, but when you come back to take it away they've grown to like it."

Typically, prices range between 1,500 and 2,500, but smaller paintings are available for around 500. A rental purchase scheme is available to allow clients pay over a 12month period.

She says the government's "1% for art scheme" . . . which obliges public bodies to allocate one hundredth of any building or refurbishment costs to art . . . could be utilised more imaginatively. "It's a great scheme and I've managed to sell into that market.

But sometimes the easy option is to buy one large sculpture when you might get 20 paintings for the same money."

Recently she sourced 20 paintings for the new Redcastle Hotel in Donegal, part of the Carlton group, with all the work supplied by Donegal artists. "Some of the paintings were commissioned and quite a few were abstract pieces. The hotel has quite a contemporary look and I worked in conjunction with the interior designer and the architect. People like that make my job easier, because they appreciate the benefit of having a specialist source the paintings.

"Lots of new hotels have a high budget for marble floors and fancy counters, but increasingly they're recognising the need to allocate money for art as well, " she says.

Cairin O'Connor sees a bright future for the Big Picture with smaller businesses that might in the past have shied away from the notion that a work of art could improve the ambience of their premises, realising that most people, in fact, like the look of a nice painting.

"I'm thinking of places like golf clubs, car sales showrooms, even doctors' surgeries. Definitely, there's a lot of room for expansion."