A pair of sanguine portraits, drawn by hand. One from your second trimester, one from after your baby arrives. They ship framed together, with a coordinate marking where your family began. A photograph captures a moment. This is made to last.
I am Brigitte Gerges, a Lebanese-Australian artist in Western Sydney, with sixteen years of commissioned work behind me. The First Family Map is where my practice and my own new motherhood meet. No studio sitting, nothing to perform. It begins with a conversation and the photographs you already have.
For readers of Natural Parent Magazine
Founding commissions are open through 30 September 2026. Use code FIRSTMAP at checkout, or mention the magazine when you enquire, for $300 off the Medium or Large pair.
What the First Family Map is
An original commission, drawn in sanguine. The warm red chalk holds skin and softness the way nothing else does. Two moments, one from your second trimester, one from after your baby arrives, drawn from your own photographs and our conversation. Into each work I embed a coordinate: where your family began.
Why drawn, and not photographed
Most mothers book a photo shoot. Lovely for a season. Then phones change, drives fail, and it becomes a folder no one opens.
You will send me photographs, yes. But what you receive is not one. It is a drawing, made slowly by hand. The photograph is the reference. The drawing is the keepsake.
How it is made
No sitting. No studio. Nothing posed. It begins with a conversation and moves at your pace.
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We talk first. A call, by phone or video. I want to understand the feeling you want to keep, how you picture the pair, and where it will hang. Most of what makes these works yours comes from this conversation, not the photographs.
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Your first photographs. In your second trimester, you send a few photos from home, on your phone, from a simple brief I give you. Nothing formal.
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Your second photographs. After your baby arrives, in your own time, the second set. Early or late, nothing changes. The work waits for you.
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I draw, then deliver. Both works in sanguine, from your photographs and our conversation. Framed together, coordinate embedded, delivered anywhere in Australia.
The practice behind it
Sixteen years painting maps. The longitude of my grandmother's village. The street my mother walked. The airport where my family landed in 1989. Maps of becoming.
Then I became a mother, and understood the body is a territory too. A bump. The first hold. A face pressed to a chest. This is that practice, turned toward the start of a family.
What it costs
Each pair includes our conversation, both finished works, matching archival timber framing, a digital file, and your embedded coordinate. A $200 deposit secures your place. No sitting to schedule, so the work follows your timeline.
Small pairA4, framed
$1,150
Medium pairA3, framed · most chosen
$1,650$1,350 with FIRSTMAP
Large pairA2, framed
$2,600$2,300 with FIRSTMAP
Add-ons: an extra family member or pet (+$200), a print-ready digital upgrade (+$150), premium archival framing (+$300), or a gift voucher in any value, no expiry.
Common questions
Do I have to sit for this, or come to a studio?
No. No sitting, no studio. Everything happens from photographs you take at home and a call with me. A pregnant woman or a new mother should not have to schedule and hold a long pose.
Can I commission this if I am not in Sydney?
Yes. Because it is made from your photographs and our call, I work with families right across Australia. Sydney or not makes no difference.
What if my baby comes early?
Nothing changes. You send the second set whenever you and your baby are ready.
What if I am not sure my photos are good enough?
You do not need a professional camera. I give you a simple brief and we talk it through first. Honest phone photos are often the most beautiful to draw from.
What coordinate goes on the work?
Wherever your family began. A hospital, a home, a kitchen, a street. We decide together, and you can change it until the work is signed.
Can my partner buy this as a gift?
Yes. Gift vouchers come in any value, no expiry. The recipient enquires when ready.
From the studio in Parramatta, Western Sydney. Brigitte Gerges, Contemporary Cartography of the Diaspora. Or DM FIRSTMAP to @brigittegerges on Instagram.
