They may have met in the second half of their lives, but they act like newlyweds. She calls him ‘Laughing Bear’ — a nickname he picked up when he was a jet jockey. He calls her ‘Gooney Bird’ — probably for a variety of reasons. They have two invisible pets, Oops the Otter and Puff the Penguin, who are responsible for anything that goes missing or gets broken in the Shoppe.

From Pasadena to Pakenham

As a young man Don DeGroat was a professional photographer and operated a black and white photography lab in Pasadena, California. He later operated “The Grey Rainbow” commercial photography studio in Newport Beach, catering to high-end clients like Anheuser Busch. Surprisingly, he is colour blind — an attribute he characterizes as an asset for black and white photography. He is able to better see all the shades of the grey rainbow. More astonishingly, he was able to convince aviation authorities that he could fly very expensive pieces of equipment and he did.
Pat DuBreuil was born in Sherbrooke, Québec, and moved to Montreal where she worked for Bell Canada for ten years. Ma Bell quickly discovered her aptitude for on-the-job training, and Pat embraced the burgeoning field of systems software, eventually becoming a database management systems developer and consultant. After moving to Ottawa in 1971, she raised her two daughters in Nepean and ran her own consulting business from her home. When their first marriages failed, both turned to the Internet for entertainment and found themselves responding to each other’s postings on a Yahoo chat room, leading to the infamous meeting at Syracuse airport.

From the “Grey Rainbow” to “Light Wisps”

Anyone familiar with Pakenham, a picturesque little town on the Mississippi River packed with delightful places to shop and snack, is already aware of the gem of a shop that Pat and Don have created. Their 3 Yellow Tulips Art Shoppe is located at 2518 County Rd. 29N, around the corner from the famous five-span stone bridge erected in 1901.

The story goes like this. Once Pat picked up Don’s high-end Nikon film gear, she was hooked. “I always loved nature, and it’s even more fantastic through a macro lens,” she enthused. I agree, especially when looking at her lovely colour photos. Don was only too eager to refocus his energies back into photography. After working from their home in Woodlawn, and tired of the packing and travelling associated with art shows, the couple considered starting an artists’ co-op as a way of making their art available to the public. Instead, they launched 3 Yellow Tulips as a seasonal shop on the grounds of the Stonebridge Inn. Two years ago they purchased their current shop and are now open year round. “LightWisps” is the name of their photography partnership, and it appears as one of the artist links listed on their website.

As a “digihead” photographer myself, I was surprised to learn that Don and Pat remain confirmed film shooters. Once I learned of Don’s technical expertise in the darkroom, his passion for the nuances and quality control available to him as he develops his own images was understandable. The couple love the permanence of film-based photographs, and exhibit their photographs outdoors, exposed to today’s damaging sunlight, to demonstrate the durability of their prints.

Don shoots black and white film, and his photos demonstrate his artistic and technical prowess in capturing both the essence and the symbolism of his chosen subjects. Paradoxically, black and white photography can be both hyper-realistic and more removed from reality than colour photography. Drawing and form are conserved without the distraction of colour. This is particularly evident in Don’s photo of Pat’s mother’s hands on display in the Shoppe.

Pat brings all the colours of the rainbow to her enjoyment and appreciation of nature. This rational person has found a comfortable new voice for her creative impulses. Her signature photo of the three yellow tulips that adorns their website was one of her first images. It’s a good example of her innate compositional flair, her wonderful colour sense, and her ability to master the technical challenges of her medium.
In addition to selling their photos, the couple welcome art documentation projects and advertising assignments for small products. They recently completed filming a large private art collection for marketing to galleries and shops, where 35mm slides are frequently preferred over more readily manipulable digital images.

Humming with Artists

Couldn’t help but notice that eight of the more than twenty wonderful local artists listed at www.3yellowtulips.com have been profiled previously by theHumm. Pat and Don have become highly appreciated members of the Pakenham arts community. In addition to creating a free display case for event banners on the side of their building, they share their location with artists wanting to offer classes, and are currently inviting artists to offer outdoor demonstrations at their prime location. They are soliciting donations of used (and working) digital cameras that they will make available to various groups that work with children. Check their website, call them at 624–5932, email them, or better yet, drop in at 3 Yellow Tulips Art Shoppe at 2518 County Rd. 29N in Pakenham and enjoy their fabulous collection of art.