Artist Lucy Selina Hall is slowly building her reputation in the art world. With the recession making it tough for illustrators and designers to find full-time work, Lucy has turned to producing individual work for sale and hass now found, literally, a show window for her talents.

ARTIST Lucy Selina Hall is slowly building her reputation in the art world.

The recession has made it tough for illustrators and designers to find full-time work and many graduates like Lucy are turning their talents to producing individual work for sale.

Now she is displaying her work, including hand painted ceramics, cushion clouds and raindrops and greetings cards, in an Ipswich shop window.

Lucy, from Barham near Ipswich, said: “I have always loved crafts and making things as well as being an illustrator.

She makes individual dolls, which she calls “critters”, as well as clouds and raindrops, with message labels.

A cup and saucer set is illustrated as “a storm in tea-cup,” providing a unique gift.

Cathy Frost, who runs her individual craft and gift shop Love One in St Peter’s Street, has given over the shop window to Lucy for a few weeks to display her pieces,

“If this is successful I hope to do this for other artists every few weeks, at least two or three times a year.

“Lucy’s work has been popular. For the shop I try to buy small and often, so it is constantly changing for my regular customers. It is nice for them to see new things.

“We have been here two years now and people are still finding us. People like Lucy will bring in a new look to the shop and we will get that change.”

Cathy Frost was working in interior design before deciding to open a shop.

“Initially I was on the web, and did craft fairs, Then this shop was available two-and-half years ago,” she said.

“We sell gifts, individual hand made cards, jewellery and things for the home.

“I always look for things that are a bit quirky. I especially like to promote local artists and designers and crafts. There is such a lot of talent here.”

Traders in St Peter’s Street and St Nicholas Street were working hard to promote the area, along with Ipswich Central, she said.

The streets will be closed for a street fair on Sunday June 27 as part of the Ip-Art Festival, she said, with stalls, live music and artist’s working.

“This is a lovely old building dating back to the 1600s,” Cathy said of her shop.

“People from outside Ipswich love it when they come here. In some way we have to promote it more to local people.

“We are the main link between the Waterfront and the town centre and we get a lot of people from the hotels, The Salthouse and the Novotel, who are visiting the town. The arrival of Dance East is also a boost.

“To get that is really a coup for us. We will have art stalls and students from the college taking part.

“Retail is tough and we have to promote ourselves the best way we can.”