Visitors are submerged into Laime’s colorful paintings, like with his Forgotten Paradise paintings. In this series, the painter has captured landscapes from Africa or Madagascar, but of course also from his native Peru. A painting shows a modest, wooden gate, located in the middle of the jungle that can only be reached by river. “This is the entrance to a Jungle Lodge that I directed together with my business partner from 2006 to 2012,” says Laime. The Lodge was right on the Amazon river. It took several hours driving on a speedboat to get there. There was no electricity and no running water – with a viewof the mighty Amazon river from the doorstep. “It was a great time that still accompanies me in my dreams,” says the painter. The guests, who wanted to experience the simple life in the rainforest, came from Europe. “South Americans do not go to the jungle. That’s not cool, “says Laime, laughing. He is obviously the exception, because he finds life in the rainforest as a paradise. “You can eat the fruits growing there, hunt and catch fish. You need money for life in the city, “he says.

Arturo Laime came at the end of 2013 to Fechenheim

After a flood in 2012 destroyed the Jungle Lodge and the reconstruction was too costly and too expensive, Laime decided to live in Germany. At the end of 2013 he moved to Fechenheim. “Being an artist full-time is difficult, especially as an artist from a foreign country. It takes a lot of self-confidence, “says Laime. He learned the German language and founded the entrepreneurship program with the help of Kompass Existenzgründung Beratungzentrum based in Fechenheim. Meanwhile, he lives from his art. The love of nature is reflected in many of his paintings. In his series “Animal Kingdom”, for example, there is the picture of a toucan in a mixed technique: Laime has incorporated dried leaves into the painting.

Biodiversity and nature conservation are in Arturo Laime’s heart

Biodiversity, and nature conservation are important topics that concern him. “Moaning about climate change does not help. You have to do something about it and not resign yourself. I find, For example, that it is positive that the plastic bags are being abolished in supermarkets in Germany, “says Laime. But his heart is also on social projects. In Peru, he set up a soup kitchen for the needy and organized Medical interventions in a small villages near the Jungle Lodge. Linking together nature conservation and social work is a goal for the artist.

Arturo Laime also offers workshops in which participants learn motivation through art and learn to find themselves. In the August Stunz Zentrum from Awo in Röderbergweg he works as an artist in the house and paints there with the residents. Laime is also a member of the Kunstverein “Eulengasse” in Bornheim. More about the artist and his work can also be found on the internet at www.arturolaime.de