Art Inspires Conservation and is Inspired by Conservation

Having been raised in southern Ohio, I fell in love with wildlife at a very young age. Raised on a farm, I was also very much intrigued by the world at large. I remember my favorite book as a child was about a boy and a tiger. I saw the tigers and they amazed me!

In 1964, at the age of six I visited the Cincinnati Zoo for the very first time. I can still remember building my school project. A story about Tigers, don’t you know. Oh yeah, and there was the weekly ritual of laying on my belly to watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on a black and white tv, mind you.

I was hooked! I have been in love with wildlife ever since and yes, I owe it all to that storybook.

By 1979, I was to start making my living selling my own depictions of tigers… giraffe and rhino and yes, Cheetah! Affiliation with several national and international wildlife organizations were soon to follow. Art and Animals just seem to go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. Both are very beautiful and both compliment each other perfectly. I am very honored to have raised as a direct result of my artistic contributions, over $2,000,000 worldwide. I love, love, love to make a difference! I am so impressed with the devotion and commitment of everyone involved in saving our incredible creatures.

To date those organizations, include:
The Denver Zoo, The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, The Henry Doorly Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Little Rock Zoo, The Digit Fund, Mission Wolf, Sea North, Leopards Etc., Okeanos Organization, Michigan Raptor Rehabilitation Center, The Snow Leopard Trust Fund, Idea Wild, Turpentine Wildlife Rescue and of course, Cheetah Conservation Fund.

I have even had the incredible pleasure of painting several murals in Namibia on Dr. Laurie Marker’s, new at the time, Visitor Center. I would count it a great joy to paint another mural since the fire in 2013 destroyed the building. A new Visitor Center sits on the site just waiting to be adorned. ☺

Dr. Laurie Marker became a friend, during several fundraisers held in the United States which lead to my stay at her compound in 1999. It is truly an enormous honor to be involved again, some 20 years later and I truly hope we can ALL really make a difference. To help save the Cheetah in the wild is a gift to all of mankind and to the generations to come. As a direct result of what we are doing today, we stand a good chance of admiring these magnificent creatures, hopefully for as long as there are those of us taken by their beauty.

Sincerely,
D. Arthur

For more information about the artist visit: artgonewildstudios.com

To own an original artwork “Cheetah on the Hunt” (featured below), by D. Arthur Wilson bid at CCF’s Bidding for Good online auction.