Fire and earthquake victims bring their damaged plates and porcelain to Foster Art Restoration in Costa Mesa. A complete, seamless restoration is the goal of the experts who work on priceless heirlooms as well as Disney figurines. : Picking Up the Pieces

A few days after the Jan. 17 earthquake, Sy Sussman of Newport Beach was left holding the bag. Inside the bag, in pieces, was his 150-year-old Queen Louise gold-overlay plate from Austria, valued at $1,700.

Sussman’s ruined plate was not the only broken treasure to arrive that day on the doorstep of Foster Art Restoration. Hundreds of art objects, heirlooms, figurines and paintings have been brought to the Costa Mesa offices since the Northridge tremor--all shattered, torn, crunched or otherwise laid to waste by the quake, and all of them in the hands of owners, like Sussman, who look with hope and trust to the artists who make their treasures whole again.

A complete, seamless restoration is the goal of the 10 Foster artists, whether the project is a $20,000 Sergio Bustamente papier-mache elephant or a $25 Disneyland statuette. Since the autumn brush fires and the earthquake, the number of pieces brought to the studio has increased 30%, creating a four-month backlog.

The sentimental value of many of these objects, recovered amid destruction of all else familiar, is immeasurable, said John D. Foster, the company founder.

His wife, Angela, who serves as the firm’s president, recalled a woman who recently brought in an ordinary ceramic saltcellar. “When I saw it, I told her it wasn’t worth repairing. She said, ‘Oh yes it is’ and told me that it was the only thing she’d found in the ashes of her mother’s home” after the Laguna Beach fire.

When Michael Bean searched the ashes of his Laguna Beach home in October, he found only a broken platter, a damaged amber brooch and a couple of Christmas ornaments. Because the platter and brooch had been given to his wife, Marianne, by her two grandmothers, he took them to Foster to see if they could be restored and given to her for Christmas.

“Apparently the fire was so hot it had reglazed the platter and changed the colors on the pieces,” said Bean, 48. “There was no way Foster could make it look exactly right. When he called me before Christmas and said it’s all ready, he was so apologetic. It looked fine, but he was so upset that he couldn’t put the colors back the way they were. He wouldn’t accept any payment for it, even though I think he worked on it on and off for a month.”

His wife cried when he presented her with the heirlooms, said Bean, who now lives in Newport Beach. “It made us think that even through disaster, there’s rebirth.”

The 38-year-old company is one of the nation’s largest commercial art restorers and repairs materials ranging from bronze to marble to crystal. Manufacturers of porcelain collectibles such as Lladro and Boehm recommend Foster Art Restoration to their customers.

Even before the earthquake, the Fosters were busy. “Children, maids and pets are our biggest moneymakers,” said Foster’s son, John C., in reference to the day-to-day breakage of art pieces. “We’re thinking of putting them on commission for us.”

The company’s craftspeople are so skilled that they have even repaired museum pieces, said Larry Vescera, office manager. For example, people have thrown away expensive porcelain figurines that have shattered, not believing repair is possible. In fact, Vescera said, senior artist Angela Hittesdorf not only can repair them but can even duplicate legs and arms that have turned to dust.

“The biggest problem is people who’ve tried to do the repairs themselves,” Vescera said. “We get pieces that have really been through the mill. We have to boil the pieces to get the customer’s glue out, and then do the repair.”

Because many customers had dozens of art objects break during the earthquake, the Fosters have requested that only six pieces per customer be brought in for repair during any three-month period. All pieces that will ultimately be repaired are logged into the Foster computer, however, and that total now stands at 10,000, the younger Foster said. This is despite the fact that the company does no advertising.

Eleanor Cox, 83, of Westwood, whose Mexican tree of life candelabrum broke in the Northridge quake, is among the firm’s cheerleaders.

“They do beautiful work. I’ve had things mended by European craftsmen, but Mr. Foster is the best,” she said. “He’s very businesslike and knows what he’s doing.”

Cox’s pottery candelabrum is at Foster Art for the second time. Last year it was repaired after her dog sideswiped a table and broke it. The earthquake broke it again--but in different places.

“Things you like, you don’t mind paying for,” said Cox, who will pay $85 for the repair.

At the West Los Angeles home of Myron Du Bow, the quake broke an ornate English tea service and a pair of 2 1/2-foot-tall Chinese vases.

“They were reduced to about 20 or 30 pieces each,” Du Bow said. “My wife had heard of Foster’s because she does interior design work. Well, we brought the vases down there in two plastic bags, and they came back not only perfect but you can’t even tell where they fixed them. It was worth the trip.”

The minimum charge at Foster is $65, although repairs of fine art pieces, most of which are insured, can total $5,000. The average fee is $100.

On May 15, the Fosters will open their first mall outlet, called Pick Up the Pieces, in Fashion Island.

“We’re networking with art restorers around the country, licensing them to use our processes and technology,” said the younger Foster, 32, adding that especially difficult pieces will be shipped to the Costa Mesa facility. Licensees are also being lined up for stores in Beverly Hills, La Jolla, Palm Desert and San Francisco.

Over his decades of art restoration, the elder Foster has invented and patented several techniques and formulas, including a porcelain polishing technique and a way to repair acrylic. His latest invention--perfect for earthquake country--is Ankor-All, a reusable adhesive that secures vases and other treasures to flat surfaces.

Another process was used to restore Sussman’s 19th-Century Austrian plate. After reassembling the pieces, the older Foster used a synthetic porcelain to hide the seams. Then he used a powdered form of gold leaf in a process that blended into the damaged gold overlay.

For other pottery repair, a special glaze hides the seams--and makes customers shake their heads in amazement.

“When I got the plate back, I couldn’t even find the breaks, even though I know where it was broken,” Sussman said. “It looks good, and I can appreciate it again.”