In Memory

David's Life Celebration will be held at Eternal Hills Funeral Home, 3594 Stone Mountain Hwy, Snellville, on Sunday, April 17th. The eulogy will begin at 3 pm. (Aloha shirts or SCA* garb optional.)

* Society for Creative Anachronisms

David Joseph Babulski was born in 1944 and grew up in the small foothill community of Sunland/Tujunga in Southern California. From a very early age he was intensely curious about the natural world and loved to draw. The San Gabriel Mountains and their foothills were his playground. While still very young he had the good fortune to live next door to a serious mineral collector. At the age of ten he was introduced to mineral collecting and the science of mineralogy. Fortune smiled on him again at age fourteen. A neighbor who was a retired art teacher introduced him to watercolor. All through his high school years he dreamed of a way to combine his interest in science and art. During a high school career seminar a professional artist shared his experience as a scientific illustrator, providing the inspiration for a goal to combine art and science.

After graduation from high school David enrolled at what was then San Fernando Valley State College in Northridge, California as an art major/science minor. After two years, however, world events intruded and, rather than risk being drafted he left school and joined the U.S. Navy. After basic training he was assigned to Class "A" Radar School where he learned the basic electronics knowledge that would serve him well later in life. While at sea he enrolled in art correspondence courses to keep his hand in art. After release from active duty, he married his high school sweetheart and went back to college on the G.I. Bill. At the time, job prospects for professional artists were rather bleak, so he majored in his other passion, graduating in 1973 with a BA degree in Earth Science. He would have preferred to teach high school Earth Science, but the national economy was in a recession and jobs were scarce, particularly for new college graduates. So he enrolled at night school and went to work for the 3M Company servicing electronic office equipment. For the next 20 years he put art aside to raise a family. He became a professional educator in industry, obtaining both a Masters Degree and Doctoral Degree in science education.

After his children were all college-educated and on their own, he returned to mineral collecting and developed a special interest in microminerals. Over time he began to sketch what he saw through the microscope, and eventually graduated to watercolor, which proved to be an excellent medium for capturing the vibrant rich colors in the mineral world. He borrowed and purchased every book he could find on watercolor and taught himself more about the technique. He also invented a gimbaled mechanical microscope stage to allow accurate positioning of micromineral specimens.

His works are on hot-press acid-free watercolor board with watercolor paints, acrylic gouache and Prismacolor colored pencils. Specimens for his paintings came from his own collection of mineral micromounts. Initial sketches were made with a Camera Lucida attached to a Motic K400 stereo microscope. This initial sketch was then enlarged and refined freehand by referencing the microscope and photomicrographs of the micromineral specimen. Most of his paintings were executed on a black background, as that is the way the specimen appears in the microscope. He strove for scientific illustration accuracy in form and color with just a bit of artistic license. Each original painting is framed, and is accompanied by the actual micromineral specimen from which the painting was created, mounted in the frame. Several of his mineral paintings reside in private collections. He has had major exhibitions of his work at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh (2003), the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville (2004), and the Weinman Mineral Museum in Cartersville, Georgia (2005). In 2005 he was made a signature member of the World Wide Nature Artists Group. [Adapted from http://www.mineralogicalrecord.com/artwork.asp?cat=1&artistid=76]

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Dave was a long time member with many interests and talents who made major contributions to the Georgia Mineral Society. With a doctorate in science education and self-taught skills in water color painting, he created displays, did demonstrations at the club shows, and initiated and led the Micro-mount Section. Prints of some of his micromount paintings now hang on the walls at the GMS building. He was also a musician, inventor, and author. He patented “a technology for creating a three-dimensional effect in viewing photographs and moving images.” He also wrote delightful children’s novels, including Adventures of Piffels the Elf: A fairy tale for our times, Volumes 1 & 2, fascinating books with a message. I could hardly put them down. Author, artist, inventor, educator, harp player, and scientist --- Dave was truly a Renaissance man. GMS members who knew Dave could not help noticing his talent, willingness to serve the club, and his devoted care of his beloved wife, Karen. We will miss him.

Bob & Olga Jarrett

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Sand Section started a few years ago just as Dave was winding down Micromount Section because of his health. We always kept the micro area ready for his return and would fret when sand was intruding on micro territory. Sadly, Dave never got to experience the Sand Section fully formed. I think he would have enjoyed strapping on his little backpack and jumping into a 'scope for geology hikes through sand specimens with us. Now his chair is empty and the void is heavy and painful. We missed him from the time he stepped back from micros and miss him still. When I learned of his passing I knew the day of his triumphant return was gone, but after meeting his children and other friends at his Life Celebration, I understand now that he was never gone. He was always here, and will always be here, in the fond memories we share and the quest for adventure he inspired in all of us.

Lori Carter