Sculptor shares snap of Susie cat statue progress

A sculptor working on a statue of a town's famous cat has shared a glimpse of the work in progress.

Ama Menec has been commissioned to create a statue of Susie, an adventurous cat known for visiting shops and businesses in Dorchester, and whose adventures are followed by more than 13,000 people on Facebook.

Weymouth-based Menec said the statue was being cast at the Pangolin foundry in Stroud, Gloucestershire, which is favoured by artists such as Damien Hirst.

The casting process, which began on 3 July, is expected to take about four months, with the unveiling in South Street scheduled for 22 November.

Menec said having her work cast at Pangolin was "exciting".

"It's going really well," she said.

"The cast they did in wax was totally brilliant."

The original sculpture was created in plastolin - a terracotta-coloured mixture of clay and wax - which was "quite hard to work with", according to Menec.

The foundry used the plastolin cat to cast a green wax version, which will be dipped in liquid clay to create a shell mould before being kiln fired, melting the wax.

The sculpture will be hollow and cast in sections "like a Lindt bunny", explained Menec.

"There will be areas where there is no texture so they use stamps and chisels.

"They refer to the original so they know where there should be stripes and where it should be smooth."

The bronze version will be sandblasted before the patination process, using metal salts and a gas gun, which presents a challenge in the summer heat.

"We are in a metal shed with a metal roof with up to six people with gas torches going at the same time," said Menac.

"With Susie, we will have to patinate the areas that are silver and tan. The gold areas will need to be brushed back."

Susie moved to Dorchester with owners Linda and Michael Crow when they came to stay with their daughter, Jenny Graves, in 2023.

After receiving multiple calls from people believing she was lost, they changed her name tag to say "Susie - not lost, just adventurous".

Facebook followers share sightings of the cat, which has also featured in a children's book, postcards and a calendar, raising thousands for charity.

The 38cm-high (15in) statue, commissioned by a local historian, will be installed outside Julia's House charity shop at eye level for small children, on a 75cm-high (30in) plinth.