Portraits with Purpose, with Leanne Pearce

I’m honoured this week to talk to Leanne Pearce about five of her paintings depicting human milk feeding, and her work in general. You can look at the paintings we focus on as you listen by going to Leanne’s website - www.leannepearce.co.uk/emma-pickett-podcast or by visiting my instagram account @emmapickettibclc. 

Leanne is a contemporary British artist specialising in portraiture. She has featured twice on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the year. Her skill in elevating early years, breastfeeding and parenthood has led her to be commissioned to work on a variety of projects namely Breastfeeding the Brave, Connecting Hearts for Hearts Human Milk Bank and Family Hubs, Blackburn and Gateshead. Her ability to beautifully capture the complex emotions around breastfeeding and lactation makes her the perfect choice.

You can buy affordable prints of Leanne’s work at her website: https://www.leannepearce.co.uk/. Or talk to her about a commission or exhibiting her work.

My new book, ‘Supporting the Transition from Breastfeeding: a Guide to Weaning for Professionals, Supporters and Parents’, is out now.

You can get 10% off the book at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Twitter @MakesMilk and on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com

For more about the exhibitions and art featured in this episode - 

https://humanmilkfoundation.org/get-involved/connectinghearts/

https://breastfeedingthebrave.com/

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/st-oswalds-hospice-launches-emotional-29147062.amp

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

Transcript

Emma Pickett  00:00

Hi. I'm Emma Pickett, and I'm a lactation consultant from London. When I first started calling myself Makes Milk, that was my superpower at the time, because I was breastfeeding my own two children. And now I'm helping families on their journey. I want your feeding journey to work for you from the very beginning to the very end. And I'm big on making sure parents get support at the end to join me for conversations on how breastfeeding is amazing. And also, sometimes really, really hard. We'll look honestly and openly about that process of making milk. And of course, breastfeeding and chest feeding are a lot more than just making milk.  

Emma Pickett  00:46

Thank you very much for joining me for today's episode. This is one of the times where I really do feel a bit of a chump for not doing the fancy YouTube podcast things so people can see you at the same time as hearing you. Because this is going to be an episode that is very much about visual arts, and pictures and paintings. But because of that, we're going to be super clever. And you're going to be able to go to Instagram, and look at Leanne's page and my page to find images of the pictures that we're talking about today. So we're not asking you to do this completely blind. Go to Instagram have Instagram in front of you while we're talking about these paintings. And you can be part of this journey because today is very much about paintings and art and breastfeeding and parenting and lactation and human milk within the painting art world. Thank you very much for joining me today. Leanne, Leanne Pearce, artist from Newcastle, thank you for joining me.

Leanne Pearce  01:38

Hi, Emma. Thanks for having me.

Emma Pickett  01:39

So I when I very first saw you, it was on telly when you were doing the Sky Arts portrait artist of the year. So before we talk about breastfeeding and human milk, can I get a bit of the Sky Arts portrait of the year gossip? What was that experience? Like you don't twice is that haven't you? What was that experience like doing that person that show?

Leanne Pearce  01:59

Well, I have done it twice. But I've have been on telly three times. To blow one's own trumpet in 2004. I think I was on an ITV show called a brush with fame. And Carol Smiley was the presenter. And I got to the semifinals. So that was great. And then leaping forward quite some years, I think 2016 or 1717, I think I did put a sky out portrait Artists of the Year. And then when he 22. I did it again. It's a strange old experience. It's very high pressured, you have four hours to paint a masterpiece. You literally don't know who you paid until the walk through the door and it's Go, go go go. And the second time I did it, it was really positive. I had a great time. The artists I was working alongside were fabulous. So I'm still in touch with them now. The first time I did it in 2017. Literally the week after filming, I opened an art gallery. And it had two tiny children. So I think I was just wrapped up in some in multi worlds or at the same time.

Emma Pickett  03:05

Yeah, that art gallery, which I was honoured to visit pre pandemic was such a gorgeous space. That was Yeah, I mean, he had a little space, it was a kind of community space, and also a little cafe. And it was great to see your paintings in that environment. And I had a lovely day with you talking about my book, the breast book, and also meeting some secondary school pupils and doing a little session on body image. As well as getting to look over your breastfeeding paintings. It was such a great session because all these teenage girls looked at all your breastfeeding paintings and talked about, you know, breasts and body image. And it was just magic. And I think obviously, that's one of the very powerful things about art is that it can just completely change people's attitudes. And, you know, bring people into a world where they haven't previously been and, and lots of your breastfeeding paintings are, are so intimate and that they're showing a very private moment between two people who love each other incredibly or going through medical issues. Or it's, you know, there's just such an intimate, special thing. And I'm really honoured to be able to talk about your work today because you're, you're breastfeeding work is very, very special. Before we talk about your breastfeeding work specifically, you've been a professional painter then a super long time. 2004 I mean, that's many, many years ago, you must have been a glimmer in the milk man's eye back then. How old were you when you did that ITV show?

Leanne Pearce  04:25

Well, I look very young. But you know, people ask me how long I've been an artist all the time. And I really want to say since I was born, but why not? I feel that's how I feel. And I've always painted. I did a degree in fine art but then I never worked as a full time artist. I've worked in interiors I've worked with graphic design. I've worked as a community arts facilitator. I've opened the gallery and we call it a gallery but really it was a an all encompassing, beautiful creative community space. Obviously have raised my children which is A massive job. So it wasn't really until locked down, that I've started working full time as an artist, because what happened is the gallery we had to shoot because of COVID. But I've always painted. Alongside all of my work. I've always paid portraits. And so it's now that I really feel I could focus on doing it full time. 

Emma Pickett  05:21

And you do lots of different scales. So I'm looking at painting behind you, which hasn't been breastfeeding, that is a large painting a sort of large painting in terms of what someone might have in their home, but you also do smaller, more intimate, intimate portraits as well. One of the things about that that sky arts programme is that mean lots of people? No way, can they produce something in any four hours, it really is a very rapid process. What What's your normal timeframe for producing a large painting, let's say the kind of picture that's the size of a big flat screen telly? How long does it take you to produce a painting like that normally?

Leanne Pearce  05:57

So that's really difficult to answer because it depends on lots of things like the contents of the painting, if there's loads of intricacies, recently of painting, painting portraits, with people in a hospital setting, with lots and lots and lots of tiny wires. That takes me a very long time. But maybe an average would be a week.

Emma Pickett  06:21

So when you do the Sky Arts thing, you just have to just embrace a different technique, just go for it, just brush it down and be a lot of it must be about confidence and just sticking with your first go and not necessarily fiddling around.

Leanne Pearce  06:35

It's funny, you should say that because as soon as I start painting, I lose all my confidence it on the telly, Telly like, oh, no, this is it. And then something kicks in. And I'm rarely in the zone focused. But all alongside on the Sky Arts alongside painting, you are constantly interviewed by famous people, including Joan Bakewell, who is an absolute hero with big up to the game. So it's just different. When I'm paying for that home, I can have a cup of tea and stroke my dog, pick up my kids and then come back to pay him whenever I want. Because my studio is at home.

Emma Pickett  07:18

Yeah, and I'm guessing that helps you come back with a fresh perspective and look at things a different way to be able to have that that sort of time. Let's talk about some individual pieces of art. So we've got five images that we're going to look at today. I'm going to apologise now for not knowing proper technical words. So I'm don't know very much about the technique of art. So I'm gonna ask you really dumb questions about what kind of paint you use and stuff like that. But are you okay for me to call them paintings? Do you call them pieces? What do you call them?

Leanne Pearce  07:48

They're all paintings. Yeah. 

Emma Pickett  07:49

Okay. Okay. Right. So number one. And this is an old friend for me this painting because this is the one with the blue background, and a mom who's breastfeeding her baby in a cradle holds looking out at us. And when we were first in touch, I asked permission to use some of your images from your breastfeed exhibition in a presentation I was doing when I was speaking to the UNICEF Baby Friendly conference. So I was speaking about responsive breastfeeding. And you've very kindly gave me permission to use some of those images in that in that very first talk that I did a long time ago now. And this was one of the pictures that I chose, just because this is this mother knows what she's doing. She really does look very confident and relaxed. Even though her baby is super chunky, and her arm strength must be quite impressive to hold a baby in that cradle hold. She just looks very relaxed. And I guess that contrasts with some of the other paintings, which you've done presenting, you know, human milk feeding where there's a lot of stress and tension. This looks like a relaxed mum. What do you remember about about this particular picture.

Leanne Pearce  08:56

So that's really interesting and significant that they that you say that to put this painting in a context amongst the other paintings in that collection. So this painting is from a collection called breastfeed portraits with purpose. It was my first collection that I've created with a focus on celebrating breastfeeding. And initially, I was breastfeeding my own daughter at the time, who was about 18 months old. And I literally feel like I had an epiphany when I was feeding her and I thought, Oh, I'm gonna paint this this is this is too precious. This is so beautiful to me. And I'm gonna lose this time. And I'm not knocking any more babies, and I need to capture on canvas. And then I went on to paint other women, because I thought this needs to be bigger than bigger than me. It is bigger than me. And I went on to paint about 20 Other women as part of this series, and Bobo, who is in this painting was one of those ladies initially, before I painted her, I painted about 10 portraits, all super large scale. And there was in an exhibition at Sunderland uni where I went to uni. And this lady was looking at my exhibition with a baby. And I thought, hello, I want to paint you, you are beautiful. So I began a conversation with her. And she was happy for me to paint her as my continuing part of the project. Because I had created the paintings before her with my own interpretation of the person. I began to instead of just making work which I was returning to the person, I began to ask much more questions to the sitter, and say, Tell me about your breastfeeding journey. And Bobo was one of the first ones that I did that with. And she told me something really significant. And that inspired this pose. She said, her mom was really poorly. She lived in Sunderland, and I'm almost poorly and she had to go to Hong Kong, where she's from, with her baby, being three months old, to see her mom who was dying, she went out for a meal with her dad, and began to breastfeed, and a dad wasn't very pleased, she was doing it, and asked her to go and feed in the toilet. And she was not happy about this, as you can imagine, and continue to feed a child. She is also an engineer. And he's very interested in public spaces, and creating spaces in which we design specific spaces for breastfeeding, and real life stuff. So I wanted in this painting for her to look directly out at you, as a viewer, in a not in a confrontational way. But to assert herself in the best way. So hopefully, that's what I did. It's like the other paintings, there's a lot of looking down, and it's tender, and its connection to the baby or connection to the bump or the toddler, which is still significant and important. And you often look down when you're breastfeeding. But actually this one, she's looking out, and she's feeding with relaxation and happiness, and confidence. So that is where that painting came from. 

Emma Pickett  12:31

Yeah, I mean, you can and you know, babies relaxed because babies sort of playful with his hand, he that he or she put their hand. And you know, so that babies very chill and quite happy that their mum isn't looking down at them. And yeah, there is that relaxed confidence. I think that's the phrase that absolutely nails it for me just the way she's looking out. It's just kind of like, Yeah, this is this is me, I'm doing this. This is working. But there's nothing. You just say nothing confrontational about it. There's nothing kind of like, hey, come at me. It's just kind of like, this is me. I'm doing it. It works. Yeah. And the story with her dad in the restaurant, how did that end, she just carried on feeding. And he accepted that or was there further issues after that you remember. 

Leanne Pearce  13:16

So I have created a book with the stories of some ambassadors alongside the paintings, so you can purchase them on my website.

Emma Pickett  13:26

I was going to say that actually, you can see the lovely exhibition Guide, which is really a book about breastfeeding with these beautiful images is in your shop on your website, along with lots of prints of the pictures we're talking about today. So I'm actually going to definitely make sure we put that in the show notes. And that resource is a dream for anybody who is responsible for public space around infant feeding. So if you are, you know, run a ward or a clinic, or you know you are Children's Centre, this, this is the resource page to get these amazing paintings to have in your space. I've got some I've got some of them that I have bought from you that I have in my clinic space. They're just yeah, don't plug your shop. But the the risk of not talking about anything else but the so that's definitely what I would recommend that exhibition Guide is a great resource. So this particular painting now, where is the original of this now?

Leanne Pearce  14:18

So in lockdown, I decided that I would create a crowd funder which would fund me to travel around the country and gift portraits to hospitals and community spaces. People nominated the venues and the gorgeous team at Ninewells in Dundee, Scotland received this painting so I was able to travel up there. They've just got a gorgeous setup. Lovely team. And they really embrace art as well which is really significant for me. So it hangs on their walls and we've had really positive feedback about it being there. 

Emma Pickett  14:54

Gosh, I'm impressed you remember where everything is? I guess you you really bet everybody and connected with every team. So you've got image of where everything is everything is sitting. Well, I'm really glad it's in that environment that that is brilliant. I'm honoured to have seen it myself. Anything else you wanted about the breastfeed exhibition? The other paintings that we're looking at today, the other five, none of the other come from that exhibition. Are there any other paintings from that exhibition that were really significant for you that you want to mention or refer to, or anything about breastfeed? 

Leanne Pearce  15:23

So the breastfeed collection was really significant for me, because it was my first collection, I felt so motivated to make it, it was like it felt like an absolute calling for me. I wanted to make really large scale portraits, which were definitely in the room. So most of the portraits reside in hospitals throughout the UK, one of them is in Montana, in America, in a milk bank there, have a few paintings left, so they need homes. 

Emma Pickett  15:58

So you have got some paintings left from the breastfeed exhibition. If somebody would like to buy those pictures from you, they contact you through your website. Is there anything else you want them to know before they make that approach?

Leanne Pearce  16:11

It's quite significant to know that they are really large scale portraits. The originals are for sale, and so are the prints what is quite significant, you can buy the whole set, I think it was 10 as prints for hospital or clinical setting because they're on a Foamex panel. The print versions are which are easily wiped clean. The IBI in Newcastle has bought a whole set they reside in the global was a midwife led unit. They were in there. So I think they've moved now, but just easy to put up. And instal and keep clean. But the originals, some of them are framed in a Perspex, which is equally easy to maintain and keep clean.

Emma Pickett  16:58

Very NHS friendly. Can I ask before we move away talking about this picture? Can I ask you about the blue? Was that a choice you made or that was where she was standing, this is where I reveal my ignorance of art.

Leanne Pearce  17:09

This is made up she just has a really beautiful skin tone, which I thought the blue really complimented and makes her stand out. And her skin feel really fleshy and alive. So that was the choice of blue. 

Emma Pickett  17:23

Yeah, definitely achieved that. Thank you. Right. Let's look at number two now. So the second picture, I'm looking at somebody who I assume as a dad, he is in a hospital setting, and his child is lying down in front of him, I'm guessing and special care. Yeah, with lots of assistance and ventilators and tubes and monitors and things that go beep and the dad has loving his eyes looking down. He's also wearing a mask, because I'm guessing this is pandemic II era or place where everyone's encouraged to wear a mask. And this comes from your work with Lindsey hook quest breastfeeding the brave project. Tell me a bit more about that. 

Leanne Pearce  18:06

So quite some time after I'd done the breastfeed portraits with purpose collection, Lindsay Hookway contacted me. And she was writing a book called Breastfeeding the Brave for her PhD, was inspired by her own journey of a poorly daughter and breastfeeding in a clinical setting. She wanted to create research to help other professionals learn and set standards on how to support families who wanted to breastfeed poorly babies. And would I paint some of the families that she had interviewed. And obviously, of course, I would do that because this is the stuff of dreams. For me, this is the work I want to be these are my portraits with purpose, highlighting stories of families, in whatever situation but for this instance, in a situation where hopefully it would help the families think back on their journey, but also help the stories in the book become more three dimensional through imagery, which personally helped me. So hopefully it would help other people. And I thought it was significant in this one because we have a dad and he's feeding the baby milk in a syringe, breast milk from the mom. And obviously the baby's really poorly. But it was really significant for them to feed that baby for mom's breast milk. Yeah, this painting is part of eight paintings in the breastfeeding the brave collection. And these paintings can be found in lenses books of the same name. 

Emma Pickett  19:49

Yeah, so I interviewed Lindsey for the podcast, several episodes back and we talked about breastfeeding the brave so if anyone didn't listen to that episode, do go back and have a listen to to us discussing Lindsey's work and why Breastfeeding the Brave is so important. And we're talking about children who are in hospital settings who are ill, and breastfeeding as part of their lives or breast milk as part of their lives and why it's important for practitioners to value and support that. I'm guessing when you're taking a picture of somebody at this time in their life, it's difficult to necessarily give them emotional space. But also they also want you to be there as well. I don't know how you become part of their world in a way that feels 100% comfortable for everybody. Did you take some, do you take photographs first? Are you a photographer first, and then you're working at home from photographs? How did you take this particular image?

Leanne Pearce  20:42

So where I can meet the person, the sitter, the family, the babies, and take their photographs, in all of the instances for breastfeeding, the brave, I couldn't take any photographs, these stories have been in gone. But we needed to wait, you need to use photographs as references from the time in which was in the book. So I only had the reference photographs from what the families had existing, which is another layer of complication for me, because often these photographs are really bad quality, and maybe taking some time ago, you know, as technology moves forward on people's phones, that the image is higher quality. So that was a massive issue really, because warily where I can I take the photograph because I can work out composition, lighting quality. So amazing. I just couldn't do that. 

Emma Pickett  21:41

Yeah, gosh, that is hard. So I'm guessing sometimes, when there's a little blurry blob, where a tube was you're gonna You just have to kind of imagine where the cheap would have been. And, and you're kind of having to do some creative choices on top of on top of an image. But is that extra scary because of these families history? Like you're making, you know, editorial decisions that then you might worry that the parent might not be happy about? Or the family might not be happy about? Were you showing them sort of the painting in situ? Or as you go along? Do you show them the painting to check things? How do you do have a relationship with your sitter while you're doing the work?

Leanne Pearce  22:16

So believe it or not, I live in extremely scary world because I rarely rarely want to get it right. For the person who's commissioned me for the person that's in the painting. But in this instance, it all came through Lindsey, and then the people in the paintings or received a print. And from what I can gather, they all appreciate the artwork that they've been in.

Emma Pickett  22:41

So you would have heard about it if they did. Learn to communicate. So the subjects and you'd know about if there was a problem. 

Leanne Pearce  22:49

It's always my preference to know the person. But in lots of instances, like going forward with the other projects, I often don't meet them. 

Emma Pickett  23:01

Yeah, I guess. Now you're being asked to do work all over the country. You know, all over the world, it may not always be practical for you to sit with somebody. And especially when you say when you're capturing moments, you're capturing a moment of someone's life when they're in hospital with their baby, maybe just for a few weeks. They're not necessarily going to know in that moment. They want a painting of that. I mean, I guess it's you're you're capturing little snapshots in time as well as a family. The original art for this you were showing them at the UNICEF Baby Friendly conference. Last autumn when Lindsey had her breastfeeding, the brave exhibition. Do you know what's happening to the originals of things? 

Leanne Pearce  23:39

So I have the originals in my studio at home. This collection has been exhibited three times, one at Bishop Auckland castle in November, the UNICEF Baby Friendly Conference and Exhibition, and more recently had a solo exhibition in Gateshead. And that was exhibited there. Just recently, actually, Dr. Victoria Thomas, who's one of my friends, came to visit the exhibition and see these breasts within the brave. What I thought was really significant that she told me from her point of view, while she thanked me actually, because she felt like she'd never seen her place of work captured in a really tender, comfortable way. Because obviously, hospitals are seen where the priority is to be clean and practical. I've come at it from obviously a different angle. And it was really lovely to hear that I've made it soft. I hadn't actually actively done that. But as it has evolved, I'm really pleased that that's a feeling that she felt from seeing them together. 

Emma Pickett  24:54

Yeah, I can definitely see it looking at this picture. So Vicki, Vicki Thomas is also subject on this podcast and I have an episode with her as well talking about her work as a paediatrician, I basically working my way through your contact lens, Leah. But this particular picture tender is absolutely the word. I mean, this father's eyes, which is all you could see if his face the way he's looking down at his child. I mean, it's actually pretty scary syringe feeding a little person and worrying about aspiration and having the skill to do that. It's not a relaxing experience. But you can see that he feels very connected and relaxed. And, you know, the risk of getting a bit cheesy, you know, someone's a good artist where it's all in the eyes. I mean, you absolutely captured that love and connection in those eyes. It at a difficult time for a family with a sort of a baby, you can't see much of the baby's face at all, because, you know, they're covered in bits of equipment, but, but you can absolutely see the connection through the father's eyes.

25:50

Also, at the risk of sounding a bit cheesy, fundamentally capturing Love is my own. My aim to make our work with loving it at all times. And then I spend my emotional currency and retired.

Emma Pickett  26:11

Yeah, well, you nailed it. Liana, I have to say, and I wouldn't be talking to you today, if I didn't think that was the case. I mean, the next picture we're looking at is also in a hospital setting. We've got again, lots of tubes, again, a baby and a ventilator. And this is, this is love. This is a mum doing kangaroo care with her little baby and holding her baby against her body and kissing the baby's head. And there's, again mum is relaxed. It's just the, you know, the baby's just so relaxed against them mom's body, his mom's body. And it's just this, this is love. This is a mom who is in an environment, which is overwhelming in the sense and although you know, the monitors, and we can see all the plugs on the wall and all the stuff. But yet it's that kiss that is the centre of that that picture. So this picture comes from your other project that you're doing right now, which is currently available to see in Swansea Connecting Hearts tell me about the Connecting Hearts project.

Leanne Pearce  27:10

So this is a commission through Amy Brown at Swansea uni. And in collaboration with the milk bank foundation. I was asked to paint which I am kind of describing as the journey of human milk. So there was 10 portraits in the collection. A collection is called Connecting Hearts from the images of the people who donate the milk. The people who work at the milk bank, the blood bikers who deliver the milk, and then portraits of babies that received the milk. This is a baby that received milk. He was pram and her milk hadn't come in yet. And so she was supported with donated human milk for a short time to get them through a stage which was difficult.

Emma Pickett  28:01

Yep, so this is Emily. That's the mums name. And as part of the exhibition, I know that there are a little sound files that are being displayed next to the painting. So what I'm hoping now is that we can hear Emily's sound file.

Emily  28:19

Hello, my name is Emily and my son is Gruffyd. Gruff came along eight weeks early by emergency C section. And he was born a teeny tiny four pound two. And he had a really tricky start. So he needed to be intubated for some help with his breathing. He had a little bleed on his lungs. He needed morphine. So he had a bit of a few complications to start. In the painting that you can see he is about a week old. And at that time, I was desperately trying to get my milk to come in. But it's trickier when you have a premature baby. And also with emergency C sections. It can be hard for it to come in, which can be very, very stressful for new moms, especially with everything else going on. So Gruff had donor milk at that time for those first few critical days. And it just took the pressure off the trying to get my milk in the possibility to have donor breast milk at that time was amazing and helped us and Gruff so much. So I'm so grateful to whoever that donor was because my milk came in and he really turned a corner then so he is doing really, really well. And he came home after three weeks in NICU. So we were so grateful for everyone on NICU, you know all the nurses and the doctors. Everyone was incredible and really supported us every step of the way. I'm so pleased with the painting from Leann It is amazing. I could not believe it when it was sent. I just think it's such a lovely, lovely thing. And at you know, a difficult time I think she's made it look really beautiful. And yeah, you can really see the emotion and it's so it's such a lovely thing. Gruff is now 14 months old. He's their happiest, cheekiest little boy. He's doing really, really well. So we had a tricky start, but, but a good ending.

Emma Pickett  30:33

So that was Emily talking about her painting and her story behind that painting. One of the things I particularly like about this painting is Emily's hair, you've really made her hair shine. So if L'Oreal ever want to do some work, you're absolutely the person to do it, because it's just glowing. And actually, there's something about her shiny hair, which seems really sort of vibrant and alive and which kind of makes her feel vibrant and alive as well, because her hair is quite a big part of the scene of her because she's looking down, and we don't see a lot of her face. But there's something about her which was like she's glowing. And it's like a representation of her emotional glowing Is that me getting a bit arty there.

Leanne Pearce  31:14

It's really lovely for me to hear what people see in the paintings and people pick up different things. So if you're picking up shine in a hair that's absolutely great with me is something that I wanted to capture. It feels sort of healthy, and even though it's in a messy bun, it's sort of really suits the image. Yeah. What was really complicated. Initially, when I started with the breastfeed portraits with purpose collection, I kind of eradicated a background it was all focused on the two or three people about their tight relationship and their skin and their cuddles and their love actually has progressed in the Commission's have changed a half to put the humans in a setting to make the whole context of the paintings work. This I find very difficult, and they miss the tiny brushes I had to use to great all the wires. This painting took me an awful long time.

Emma Pickett  32:15

Yeah, there are so many little wires and so many little plugs. And gosh, there's a lot of electrical outlets in that room. Move Emily's two metres down looking down your electrical outlets. But obviously you were taking a picture of or image of that moment and, and little baby who I'm guessing was receiving the human donated milk through their NG tube. And while Emily was doing her kangaroo care and getting her own breastfeeding experience established, and that's one of the really special things about donor milk is it's not just about giving baby's milk. It's about empowering parents and mothers to then develop their own breastfeeding journey. And the one of the most positive outcomes about donor human milk is how it impacts on the breastfeeding outcomes for the family and the breastfeeding environment in the hospital and it helps parents to breastfeed it's not just about delivering milk into a baby, it's helps parents to breastfeed.

Leanne Pearce  33:09

So I think it's important to say that the baby was born at singleton Hospital in Swansea and that is linked to the uni and they have a human milk bank hub. 

Emma Pickett  33:22

Yeah, so So Swansea I think was the first hearts donor milk hub so so hearts milk bank, which is right over the other side of the country in England towards the east of England has hubs around the UK and what I think the first time was in Swansea facilities gonna co facilitated by by Professor Amy Brown, and which is why the exhibition is in Swansea. And it's going to be in Swansea for a while so it's at the orielle Science venue in Swansea. What happens to it after that?

Leanne Pearce  33:52

So there's paintings alongside soundbites of the people in the paintings explaining their journey with the breast milk. This this collection is going to tour the tour in dates will be on the hearts milk bank website. But if you are a location that feel a venue that which feels that it would be really fitting to have the exhibition at your venue. And please get in touch too. 

Emma Pickett  34:20

Yeah, okay, so it's touring and it's up but it absolutely can after that go go to anywhere where it will be used and valued so so as you say, it's a story of human milk is not just a story of babies in hospital receiving donor milk, it's the whole community around donor milk and how donor milk works and lovely to hear that the blood bikers are involved as well because they're such an important part of, of how human milk flies around the UK and zips from place to place on their fantastic motorbikes and also great to hear that they're their staff represented as well because the people that your hearts melt bank are absolute legends, doing a lot of very important work.

Leanne Pearce  34:58

I think that I really want To tell people stories through the artwork, and I believe that's how people connect through those stories through relationships and thinking, Oh, that's like me, or, Oh, I wish I could wait until my baby was two or I didn't know you could feed longer, or I didn't know what donate in breast milk was. So I just want to, like reveal human stories and maybe stories which are hidden. Yeah. Yeah. 

Emma Pickett  35:28

And, and also, from a very sort of calculating perspective. I'm a trustee for the Human Milk Foundation and involved with hearts milk bank. And if someone sees this exhibition and goes, Wow, I didn't even know donor milk was a thing. And I've got a spare few 100 pounds, and I might donate some money to to help the charity. We're up for that too. So also, in show notes, we will have, you know, links to the Human Milk Foundation website, if you feel you're able to make a financial donation, that will be massively appreciated. But also, if you feel that you could become a milk donor, that will also be massively appreciated. You might even be somebody who works in a hospital who isn't currently using donor milk who is inspired by this project. So yeah, Connecting Hearts I hope people can find it locally to them. 

Emma Pickett  36:15

Ad - A little advert just to say that you can buy my four books online. You've Got It In You, a positive guide to breastfeeding is 99p as an e book, and that's aimed at expectant and new parents. The Breast Book published by Pinter Martin is a guide for nine to 14 year olds, and it's a puberty book that puts the emphasis on breasts, which I think is very much needed. And my last two books are about supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding. For a 10% discount on the last two, go to Jessica Kingsley Press. That's uk.jkp.com and use the code MMPE10, Makes Milk Pickett Emma 10. Thanks. 

Emma Pickett  37:03

Let's talk about the next picture, which is actually the actual real picture is behind you while I'm looking at you now. And this is a painting which doesn't have a background. So this feels like the anti wire picture. And am I right? That that's the app that's the natural unbleached Canvas behind as the background. So it's literally just Alinea. So so it's a pure linen behind and then you've obviously painted on top. And we've got this lovely kind of bird's eye view of a mum breastfeeding a baby sitting in a nursing chair. And we've got baby looking up at mum. And in some nice shiny hair again, tell me about this picture.

Leanne Pearce  37:45

So it's interesting that you said I haven't done the background again. And I think I only want to paint what is necessary to that situation. So there was just carpet, I guess behind it. So it's all about the focus on the moment, baby again. So this is part of another collection of four paintings. And actually, when I was exhibiting breastfeeding, the brave collection at the UNICEF, Baby Friendly competence, Blackburn family hubs team, I'd seen the exhibition, and then subsequently contacted me and commissioned me to paint families in their hopes, which yet again, is really the stuff of dream. For me, it's my dream work is definitely the direction of travel, where I want to take my career. So they have for family hubs. So I've painted for portraits of the people who use their services there for moms, with either breastfeed and other columns, cuddling or playing with their little ones. And for me, it's representing their community in their community spaces, which I think is so significant, I think the ripple effect. These paintings that reflect their community will be bigger and more impactful for them, and the positive and emanate love and show closeness and bonding. So I'm just about to launch this collection in May. And they will reside in the family hubs. At Blackburn, each Family Hub will have an original painting, and then each painting is going to be turned into a print. So all four artworks will be displayed in the hubs, but three will be prints and one will be originals and each one and

Emma Pickett  39:35

this perspective where you kind of floated above the mom and the baby where you want a big step ladder mean what happened to to make this image happen? Why did you decide to do that kind of floating from above perspective, which is apps, it works so well.

Leanne Pearce  39:49

It's not okay, next week, she was sat down. Yeah, I'm not flying. 

Emma Pickett  39:54

I'm just so sure. I don't ever see the world like that. I don't even think that's what it looks like. We're standing up Hey, wow. Okay, so So you're tall, that's all are you ask? I'm not even five, four. Well, it really works. And it means that you can sort of capture great shiny shoes and a great shiny hair and then this very happy chilled little baby in the middle. Looking up looking up at the mum. Yeah, that's that's a magic one. And I know you're doing a lot of work for community projects at the moment and obviously, the bigger exhibitions but you also do individual Commission's as well, don't you? So if there's an individual family who wants to capture their breastfeeding, you also do individual Commission's Do you have any space for those at the moment? Are you swamped with all the other all the project work?

Leanne Pearce  40:37

Yeah, I absolutely take commissions. I mean, you don't have to be breastfeeding. I can just paint you smiling or playing or being with your family. I often paint portraits of kids book. Breastfeeding is just a gorgeous thing to capture. It's a really short time in your life. And even if you don't commission me to paint that, please take loads of photographs of yourself doing it. Because it's so amazing that whatever you do in that moment is really truly amazing. You don't often think to capture it, because you're busy. But please get someone to take a photograph with you because that memory, we'll know that that time will soon go and it'll just be a man. 

Emma Pickett  41:15

Yeah, it's amazing how many people breastfeed for several years and have literally no photographs at the end. That is not uncommon. And, and it's almost like, Well, why would I take a picture of this? I'm in it right now. It's every day, I can't, I can't see the end. It's actually you don't realise you say it's gonna go on one day, you'll never breastfeed again, you'll have your last ever breastfeed. And you'll have no record official record of that time in your life. 

Leanne Pearce  41:37

I actually commissioned a photographer to take photographs of me breastfeeding, because it was really significant. And actually, I use those to reference to use as reference to create the pace things as well. But I'm really pleased to have those in my memory, to have them physically as well. 

Emma Pickett  41:51

So lots of lovely pictures with the best camera you can and then if you want to portray it two years later, you can contact Leanne and she can make your fortune. Yeah, let's look at the fifth painting. So this is a baby with an NG tube. With some I'm guessing while milk isn't necessarily going through the NG tube right at this moment, but it might at another time, and baby's wearing a beautiful fairy collar. And looking at somebody I'm guessing looking at someone they love outside the frame of the picture, because their eyes are looking up at somebody. And beautiful sort of pinks and lilacs and blues in the background or the colour of the painting. Tell me about this baby in this picture.

Leanne Pearce  42:31

So this baby is part of a project called Portraits with Purpose: Continuing Bonds. And it's not necessarily breastfeeding related. I don't know if this baby was breastfed. But I thought it was significant to be part of this conversation. Because this is the last project I've worked on. And all my work so far, as brought me to this point, as well. I was commissioned by a local hospice in Newcastle to paint 12 portraits 10 of the portraits of people who have died at the hospice, and this little girl with baby died at the hospice. This this exhibition will be in Newcastle in May. But also a film has been made of me meeting the families, they they tell me about their person. They show me photographs, let's play memories. And actually in this instance, they had another little girl who was four years old, and she helped me paint the background. Where are they so it's pink, so favourite colours are pinks and purples. And as a four year old, she just splattered all over the canvas, which is exactly what I wanted, I wanted their contribution. So they could also begin to feel ownership of the painting. And then they chose a collection of photographs. And then I chose this photograph from their collection to paint her portrait on the top. And so this is all been filmed the process of me painting and these families and then the reveal of the painting. And then these paintings will be in a collection in an exhibition. But it can also be viewed online at St. Oswald's. On our website, which will be the documentary will be on there.

Emma Pickett  44:14

Well, I'm just imagining the moment of that reveal. Golly, that's must be intense. Do you have a memory of that, those reveals?

Leanne Pearce  44:22

So as it evolved, we had to reveal eight portraits on one day, one every hour for eight hours. And for some reason, I hadn't given enough thought of what my emotional responses would be. But it was incredibly heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. It is an absolute privilege for me to paint these families they've let me in. They've told me something significant and they have let me paint their family member who is now not alive. And with this family We connected on a level that I can't explain in words. But we did a lot of crying. And we did a lot of cuddling. And they thanked me. And I thank them in equal measure. So it was just, it was beyond anything that I've experienced. And when I got home that night after, after revealing these portraits of people who have died, I couldn't even take my shoes off. I asked to ask my 12 year old daughter laid out the sofa, I said, take my shoes off, I've just spent, I couldn't give anything else. And I thought, well, people do this, this work every day, you know, they had not necessarily painting or such, but the giving and the meeting people and they're caring for people. I want to care and I want to give back can't do it. That intensely every day. It's just not not sustainable. So big up to the people who can do stuff like that. Because I absolutely empathise and give all I can give. Because I feel like I want to be a good citizen. But I want to paint my art. So my balance is to do portraits with purpose, which is doing something bigger than me just playing in my studio. 

Emma Pickett  46:20

God, well, you definitely achieved that. Yeah, and you are absolutely portraits with purpose. I mean, this particular painting. As I said, it captures some love, even just in her eyes, I mean, lots of your paintings are love, because there are two or three people looking at each other and connecting. But there is love in the eyes of this baby looking out at somebody else. And that is pretty special that you've managed to do that.

Leanne Pearce  46:43

I think she's looking at her dad. And I also chose that that particular outfit she's got a fluffy outfit, because I just had this idea that she would be soft and warm and comfy and I would see her as protected. So that is why I chose that 

Emma Pickett  47:02

that image with the teddy ears on the on the fluffy thing I'm getting a bit weepy, which is a bit cheesy apologies. But I guess one of the things that really strikes me is this painting that you've made, is going to be one of the most precious objects in that family's life for decades to come. I mean, and you know, the sister will probably keep that for decades, you know, the year 2080, or something, this picture is going to be so important to her family. And you made that you did that.

Leanne Pearce  47:28

I mean, you created something that is going to be so significant, you know, of all the objects in their home, it's going to be one of the most significant objects that they will ever own and ever have, or will see or have access to. I mean, that's super special. So what what I think is really important is that, you know, previously, maybe the rich middle classes, or the higher, the higher classes would would have portraits commissioned when I'm commissioned through charities or organisations which, which enabled me to make artwork for someone with a different background, it opens this idea of which they never even imagined that would be possible for them. Painting for me, painting portraits for me is just, it's every day, but for other people, it's rarely significant. And in this collection, add in what lots of little blue collection, it's been rarely significant for them to have those, because maybe there wouldn't have been maybe they wouldn't have thought of it, but maybe they wouldn't have been able to afford it. 

Emma Pickett  48:32

Yeah, that's true. And the Connecting Hearts work because you say you're capturing moments in people's lives, that, you know, they will always always look back on and treasure and and just has that you know that awkward there's then that wider messaging around the value of human milk and donor milk. There can't be many people who work in your space, then who have as much purpose as what is what you're doing. I mean, you're you've got you've just described a whole handful of projects that are absolutely life changing, and really changing attitudes and, and helping people to connect, because if you can't emotionally connect with these stories, progress cannot be made in terms of funding and administration and political decisions. And you know, you are absolutely advocating and campaigning at the most primal emotional level, which is the most important way to do it. If we're going to make change and make things happen.

Leanne Pearce  49:24

For me, there's lots of obvious things. I mean, for me, obviously, women are great or breastfeeding. I know that there's a handful of women who can't for whatever reason, and it's nothing negative against them. I am just celebrating women who are because it is so significant. I can't believe that it's not on the agenda. Or like you know, like, besides the fact that it's bonding and healthy and free. It makes other people healthier. So Long Term stuff is helpful, you know, I don't want to be preaching to the converted here, you know all this. I also think that having people as part of a project empowers them. So whether I'm painting people who have died, and it's empowering their families, or whether I'm painting people who are breastfeeding, they are part of something. That's their singular story and something bigger than themselves, and hadn't fully appreciated the beginning to appreciate the effect in a positive way it's having on people and they really have benefited from being part of a bigger project. So going forward, please get in touch with me if you've got an idea for your organisation, charity, or venue. Because I think what's happening is, these are making the artworks making an impact.

Emma Pickett  50:53

So I'm guessing people obviously can get in touch with you if they have any ideas for projects. And sometimes it's only four paintings. And sometimes it might only be one painting, and I'm wondering if sometimes people might come to you thinking, Oh, you need a piece of artwork? Oh, yeah. Does that Leanne Pierce check? Let me let me get in touch with her. And then the work changes them as Does that make sense that they actually see the pictures, and when they realise what they've actually asked for, you're gonna have an emotional impact beyond the original commissioning. And I'm not implying that the people who've commissioned you so far have been ticking boxes, but But you probably are changing the minds of the people who thought they were on that page. And you've actually engaged them on a much deeper emotional level by producing this work. And have you been surprised by any of the reactions of people that have commissioned you?

Leanne Pearce  51:42

I would say that everybody who was commissioned, has been surprised in a positive way, and rarely pleased. And going forward, the impact in which the paintings have made that's maybe what surprised them, and also how you can use the painting. So yes, there is a physical painting. But in terms of like, say, you're trying to promote breastfeeding in your area, you can use the paintings on flyers and posters and buses, I just didn't get one on the side of a bus. Or if anyone wants to project on the hands of Parliament, I'm totally down. We're doing that in a guerilla marketing way. So I think it's, I don't mind it being used for creative marketing purposes. That's absolutely fine.

Emma Pickett  52:27

We get the angel of the North to breastfeed. I'm trying to work out what their anatomy is probably. Probably not because the wings are sticking out and it's nothing to hold the baby. Maybe the angel the North can breastfeed in a sling. Maybe that's the

Leanne Pearce  52:40

Yeah, I think it was based on Anthony's body. 

Emma Pickett  52:42

Yeah, I think I think you're right, there's not a lot of mammary tissue there. Maybe we could get some chest feeding with an SNS happening. Who knows? Okay, getting a bit creative that because you're not million miles away from the edge of the North. Okay, thank you so much for your time today, the N. As I said, this work is so much about the visual. So I hope anyone that's listening to this has had a chance to go to Instagram and look at some of these pictures, go to your website, look at the images on your website, and ideally get to see some stuff in real life. So going to the connecting arts exhibition in Swansea and, and checking out where it's going after that around around the country. I'm just so grateful for the work that you do. Leanne, I just, you've touched me in lots of different ways. And I know what a difference you make to so many different different people's stories in this space. It's just really special. You just you're just so good at showing the colours of breastfeeding and the you know, it's not all cutesy. There are some bold pictures, there are some, you know, big babies and children and, you know, messages around natural term breastfeeding. It's not all dinky little tiny babies. And then flowers and fluffy is it's the whole kind of whole range of breastfeeding that it's just so great to see. And thank you. And I really am excited to see what what you get up to next and and who's going to commission you for the next project.

Leanne Pearce  53:58

Well, thank you so much, you know, thank you personally, for helping me along the way and highlighting what I do. There's a group of women, which have you're one of them out there in this breastfeeding world you are is elevating my work. 

Emma Pickett  54:17

So it's a great honour, and you buy a print if you'd like you can't necessarily Commissioner a big picture because the prints are just magic. And if you're a lactation consultant, or you you know you run a Children's Centre group or something, having one of these prints on the wall will honestly really transform the environment

Leanne Pearce  54:33

and from as little as 12 pounds for five small prints. 

Emma Pickett  54:39

Absolutely, absolutely. We'll make sure there's a link in the show notes. Thanks very much for your time today.

Leanne Pearce  54:42

Thank you

Emma Pickett  54:48

Thank you for joining me today. You can find me on Instagram at Emma Pickett IBCLC and on Twitter @MakesMilk. It would be lovely if you subscribed because that helps other people to know I exist. And leaving a review would be great as well. Get in touch if you would like to join me to share your feeding or weaning journey, or if you have any ideas for topics to include in the podcast. This podcast is produced by the lovely Emily Crosby Media.