Meet Humphrey

The weather is not what I expected, so I have decided to try and learn how to do indoor backgrounds, not very successfully, but at least I had a subject who didn't move!!

This is Humphrey. Humphrey comes with a nice story. We were waiting at a bus stop outside Washington Cathedral (Washington DC, USA) many years ago. I had bought a Hoover vacuum cleaner as they were giving free flights to the USA away with each sale. It nearly bust Hoover, and we managed to get our flights. Anyway, I saw a studio behind the bus stop, and inside I could see a sculpture in clay which interested me. I went in and found the sculpter. He turned out to be the sculpter for that year on the Cathedral, quite an honour apparently.

I asked if I could buy the sculpture and he said it was not possible and asked me why I liked it. I told him it epitomised my work, I was a dental surgeon!! We chatted for ages.

He took my name and address and I thanked him and left to catch the bus.

About six months later, an enormous crate arrived at the surgery. I opened it, and inside was the sculpture!! The sculpture weighed a ton as it was now Bronze, not clay. Only six were made.

I placed it on the windowsill in my surgery and the next patient to come in asked about him. After her treatment, she said: "I would call him Humphrey", and he has been Humphrey ever since. The real title is "Anguish". I prefer Humphrey!!

Not everyone's cup of tea, but I adore him and so did my patients.

The sculptor is Jay Hall Carpenter. He still produces wonderful sculptures, very expensive and collectible, so I am very lucky to own Humphrey.