When Loretta Sias, as the mother of four young children, needed “ME time, with adults,” she chose to try decorative painting, which led to recognition in 1978 by the Society of Decorative Painters (SDP) as a Master Decorative Painter. During the following years of seminars with noted artists provided insight into seascape, portraiture, landscapes and still life painting and lastly as a student of a great instructor Richard McKinley, she explored old master techniques, plein air painting, and pastel, for several years.
Loretta had plenty of experience behind her when she decided she wanted “something” to help her make good choices about composition and value relationships before and during the painting process, to hopefully eliminate those discouraging “I wish I had….” moments after it was finished.
In 1995, after several months of trial and error, that “something” ended up fulfilling her wish list – a single tool packed with as many useful tips as space allowed; the Picture Perfect ‘3 in 1 Plus’ Viewfinder.
The Picture Perfect ‘3 in 1 Plus’ Viewfinder was perfect for her. Not only was it a single unit big enough not to get lost but small enough to fit nicely into the paint box, it also could be used with one hand so her other hand would be free for sketching or painting. She wanted the viewfinder openings to be of different ratios, scaled to match standard-size surfaces and frames, with basic composition guidelines and wide enough surrounds to effectively isolate the views. Value filters were important to her in order to neutralize color and help her analyze comparative values. She wanted to include a gray scale for reference and table of measurements listing the “divided into thirds” and Golden Section methods of dividing the surface to make graphing faster and more accurate. Later after realizing she needed a ruler, she added one for the convenience.
Loretta was surprised at the response she received for her Picture Perfect ‘3 in 1 Plus’ Viewfinder. She started receiving orders from across the country and internationally. She was particularly appreciative of the response from art instructors and how they found the Picture Perfect ‘3 in 1 Plus’ Viewfinder helpful for their students.
In 2014 she transferred the business to her son and daughter-in law to keep it in the family. Loretta kept several, stating “it’s still a ‘MUST HAVE’ for me whenever I’m painting.”
Van Jr. and Alayne Sias take pride in keeping the Picture Perfect ‘3 in 1 Plus’ Viewfinder in the family and continually providing a quality product made in the USA and now enjoyed by artist around the world.