Sir Peter Blake is the English pop artist best known for his design of the Beatles album cover Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band - one of the most iconic album covers ever made. We were invited to his studio in Chiswick to take his portrait.
Tucked in behind a garage on a residential street was a small door leading into what was an amazingly impressive collection of everything! the name hoarding would not do it justice as every item in the studio had character, history and said a little about who this Sir Peter Blake is. At 80 years old, he sat in the only room that was not filled with collectables. We shook hands and then his assistant proceeded to show me the rest of the studio. Sir Peter Blake's assistant started by showing me his desk which was the backdrop of one of the shots. As we ventured in to the many small rooms in the old gallery space, we discovered room after room filled with all kinds of items. Lots of Elvis paraphernalia, pictures of boxers, dolls, railway tracks, ethnic items and many more things. I felt a little like I was walking into the set where the first innocent and nice Gremlin was discovered and bought in the film 'Gremlins'. What better place could there possibly be to shoot Sir Peter Blake? The place was a perfect reflection of what Sir Peter Blake's work is all about. The studio was a collage of items - all logically placed for Sir Peter Blake whilst a bystander might find it hard to see the logic in the filing. It was a museum without the displays. The man himself was a modest, kind and knowledgeable man who showed great passion and affection for every item in his studio. As if every item played an important roll in order for the studio to function - it was just like every person, item, flower and instrument paid an important roll in 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album cover in order to make it the iconic cover we all know today.
