WORK on a statue commemorating a beloved railway station cat in Andover is nearing completion as its ashes have now been incorporated into the design.
Artist Amy Goodman created the statue of Jess after members of a Facebook group celebrating the cat's antics raised more than £5,000.
Amy said: "It's a really heartwarming project to be involved with, Jess was dearly loved both by visitors to the station and commuters."
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She continued: "All the subjects I work on, including Jess, push me to do the best I can and capture the memories people had of him.
"My goal is to put life and movement into the clay when I'm working on something."
Amy created Jess out of clay, sculpting the black and white cat based on a photo of the feline, before taking it to the Talos Art Foundry in Quarley, which cast it in bronze.
The statue is currently in two parts to allow the ashes to be poured into the hollow sculpture. An inscription, dedicated to Jess, will then be etched into the bronze to secure the ashes before it is welded back together.
The final step will see Amy creating the final textures on the bronze using a pencil grinder before it is patinated, a process where a chemical compound is applied to protect the statue from weathering.
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Once completed, the statue will be returned to Jess' stomping ground, the ticket office at Andover train station.
Amy continued: "I think it will be a very special, emotive day when it's unveiled at the ticket office. It's nice, it's almost like he [Jess] is going home and will be forever home."
The statue will be able to be viewed before it is installed at the ticket office at an open workshop held at Lains Farm, Quarley on August 17 and 18.
The event will showcase Amy's studios, as well as those of stone carver Zoe Wilson, ceramicist Elaine Peto, painters Soraya French and Alice Straker, textile artist Katy Rundle, and sculptors Matt Duke and Pat Bule.
Amy added: "I really love chatting to people and sharing the process and hopefully that comes across.
"It's all stations go at the moment with lots of artists and makers around me, but it's nice for people to see us in our workspace."
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