Portraits of Early Parenthood
Family Hubs — Support Matters, & So Do the People Behind Every Family's Story
Portraits of Early Parenthood brings together a series of commissioned oil portraits created in collaboration with Family Hubs in Gateshead, Blackburn with Darwen and Portsmouth. The project celebrates the experiences of local families, recognising the many realities of early parenthood, from tenderness and joy to exhaustion, uncertainty and resilience.
Working closely with participating families, Leanne created portraits that capture intimate moments of connection between parents and children. Each original painting is created in oil on linen canvas, measuring 50 × 76 cm, giving the artwork a strong visual presence when displayed on the walls of Family Hubs across the three locations.
The portraits have become a lasting feature within the Family Hubs, with prints displayed throughout their buildings to celebrate local families and help create welcoming, personal environments. Prints were also gifted to participating families, providing a meaningful keepsake of their involvement.
In Gateshead, a collection of prints was presented to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, extending the artwork's reach beyond the Family Hubs and into a healthcare setting, where the portraits can help celebrate families and the importance of compassionate, family-centred care.
In Blackburn with Darwen, the portraits were unveiled to the public during an event celebrating the area's achievement of the Gold Standard award for breastfeeding support. The artwork helped recognise local families and formed part of a wider celebration of the services and professionals supporting breastfeeding within the community.
The portraits have also been used to highlight local family support in Portsmouth, demonstrating how commissioned artwork can help organisations communicate their services through authentic and relatable experiences.
Beyond the original commissions, the paintings continue to provide a lasting visual resource for the organisations involved, celebrating families, recognising achievements and making the people behind early years services more visible.
Portraits of Early Parenthood demonstrates how commissioned portraiture can support community engagement, celebrate local achievements and create more welcoming environments, while providing lasting personal value to families and helping organisations communicate the importance of the services they deliver.
How this project supports organisational objectives
Service awareness
Making family support services more visible, approachable and relevant to local communities.
Community engagement
Connecting services with families through relatable experiences of parenthood.
Humanising care
Presenting the people and relationships behind maternity and early years services.
Inclusion and representation
Reflecting diverse family experiences and helping more people feel recognised.
Recognition and celebration
Celebrating families, staff and achievements in early years support.