TUCSON, Ariz. — When artist and gallery owner Diana Madaras saw David Lovitt's photos of African animals, she knew she wanted to paint them.

And so she did.

Madaras's paintings brought the photos of the wildlife alive.

The original acrylic of the painting entitled “The African Queen” shows a female leopard in her natural habitat. Her black spots on orange fur seethe in the hot African sun while she rests her head on her foreleg.

Another painting in Madaras' showcase, “Baby on Board,” depicts a mother and baby elephant, tail and tusk together, as they cross a shimmering spot of water. The bright blue water pops and reflects the gray hide of the elephant.

When Madaras signed on to do an African safari with Destination Southern Africa in 2007, she and the company's CEO and president, Terry von Guilleaume, were excited to see how art and Madaras's love for animals could combine to help local charities and communities in South Africa.

“She agreed to paint at least 10 pieces of work and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to various charities,” von Guilleaume said.

It was no surprise that three of the five charities would be from von Guilleaume’s homeland of South Africa and the other two would be in Tucson. Madaras chose as one of them The Reid Park Zoo, 1100 S. Randolph Way, which she had worked with in the past.

The Journey to South Africa

Madaras three-week safari took her to many sites, including the town of Bismarck, South Africa, where 600 students attend Malebalong Primary School in classrooms von Guilleaume said were far from adequate. Lunch, which is usually the students' only meal of the day, usually consists of “milly mal," a mixture of ground corn and cabbage.

“There is a problem there,” said von Guilleaume. “Nutrition.”

His idea with the support of surrounding resorts and the proceeds from Madaras’s African sojourn, which totaled about $80,000, was to plant a community garden that would provide various organic fruits and vegetables for the people of Bismarck. This would allow the children to get a more balanced meal and would empower the women through employment.

“The great thing about the garden was that it was done to feed children, and in the end, helped the entire community,” said Lori Taylor, director of Madaras Gallery.

Tomatoes, beets, orange trees and many other vegetables and fruits have been planted in the garden with the help of these donations of time and money.

Von Guilleaume hopes that with the assistance of Rotary International, based in Tucson, a more advanced irrigation system can help the garden further along by using rainwater harvesting. Von Guilleaume said that, together with Rotary International, he hopes to create a more solid, hygienically sound irrigation system for the entire town of Bismarck. How much water pressure and the actual site of where they would like to do this is undetermined, but they hope to start breaking ground by the time von Guilleaume returns in March.

Reid Park Zoo Benefits From Madaras’ Art

Fundraisers like Madaras’ African sojourn “support the zoo when the city can’t provide,” said Chris Mayer, events director at Tucson Zoological Society.

With proceeds from fundraisers like Madaras' African Sojourn, and others, Reid Park Zoo was able to open its new Lee H. Brown Conservation Learning Center. This building boasts all “green” amenities certified and approved by The U.S. Green Building Council. In 2008 it received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification, the first building in Southern Arizona and only the second in the entire state to do so.

Buildings like this “enhance (the) value of the zoo to the community,” Mayer said.

The zoo's Conservation Learning Center has programs for kids of all ages and educates them on how the environment and wildlife go hand in hand. One program featured is the Rodeo Days Zoo Camp. The camp is held during Rodeo Week, a Tucson tradition, Feb. 26 to Feb. 27, and will take place in the new center this year. Kindergarten through fifth-grade students will go behind the scenes of the zoo and participate in arts and crafts.