this by using a diluted bleach solution. When the piece is completely dry he begins restoring it using water co- lours and pencil crayons. “I have kept hundreds of small scraps of paper from posters of different decades. I use these to fill in holes and tears,” Dan explains. For more than a decade Dan has spent time per- fecting the art of restoration and now is one of a small handful of people in the world who are involved in this art form. His reputation has spread globally and he has done work for clients from Japan to Europe, Vancouver to Texas. “I do it because J enjoy it,” Dan says. “Finan- cially it is not very beneficial, but I find a real satisfaction in preserving the past,” he smiled as he spoke. Once the restoration process is complete, Dan has the poster mounted and shrink wrapped. It is then ready for exhibition. His large Port Perry home displays many of the rare posters Dan has restored, but he has at least a thousand stored, which he rotates from time to time. Some of the rarer posters are valued in excess of $1,000 and bring back many memories when viewed Previously, Dan did restorations for Toronto’s Hol- lywood Renaissance, a firm which used to specialize in posters, but has subsequently closed. Check out some of Dan’s amazing work at: www. backingtothefuture.com and who knows, maybe Dan can help you with an old movie poster, hidden in the recesses of your basement. By Jonathan van Bilsen Focus on Scugog PORT PERRY FARMERS MARKET Home Baking * Preserves ¢ Fresh Fruits Fresh Vegetables * Local Meats * Local Honey “Dis ‘ ” FOCUS - AUGUST 2010 17