Illustration, overlooked by many before, has in recent years been recognized as an important field of fine art. And rightly so. After all, it is a genre that has its own biennial, its own fair, and its own gallery.
When you look at Maja Lubi's illustrations, it's as if you've stepped into a soft, dreamy landscape where every color whispers its own story. Her images are not just beautiful—they are full of warmth, playfulness, and delicate humor that gently caresses the souls of both young and old dreamers.
Maja Lubi, an illustrator who weaves a handful of everyday wonders into her drawings, knew as a child that she would one day draw stories. She studied art pedagogy and gradually established herself as one of the most recognizable Slovenian illustrators. Her work often graces children's books, magazines, and other publications. She has that special touch—a distinctiveness that cannot be imitated. Her style is witty and fairytale-like, lyrical and dramatic, soft and romantic. Her classic painterly approach with a sense of the fairytale world is impressive, which is also reflected in the book Ekvorna – koliščarska zgodba. Maja's fairytale images can accompany a beautiful story, or they can stand alone, like a painting, coming alive on a wall.
When you immerse yourself in her illustrations, you feel the story she tells. Her characters are soft, almost tangible, with a sparkle of curiosity and wonder in their eyes that draws you into their world. It is this ability—to create an image that does not stand still but breathes and tells a story—that makes her work so unique. Maja's deep immersion in the text's content gives rise to images where clothes, environment, attributes, and colors also play a significant role. Every detail, every line has its place and its meaning. Nothing in the picture is accidental or added merely for aesthetic effect.
Maja says that her creativity is based on feelings and observing the world around her. She loves moments when she is inspired by an everyday situation—a child looking curiously at the sky, or a cat stretching in the sun. These tiny fragments of life become her canvases, on which she brings the world to life with a brush and colors. Maja is a master of personifying animals, whose character is reflected in their "faces," and draws a smile on our human faces. She is not inspired by classic beauty and mediocrity, but by those unusual and perhaps even curious details that distinguish an individual living being from the crowd.
Although her illustrations are gentle, charming, and full of emotional charge, they are by no means sentimental or kitschy. Every book she illustrates is not just a visual delight, but also a tender thought that stays with the reader long after the last page is closed.
In addition to children's books, she also contributes to magazines and exhibitions, and her work is recognized both at home and abroad. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and her illustrations have been exhibited several times at the Slovenian Biennial of Illustration. Maja also contributed illustrations to the book Iz lončka v lonec, by Rada Kos, which received the Golden Pear award. This is an award presented by the City Library. Her illustrations not only delight readers but are also appreciated by experts in the field of illustration and literature.
Maja Lubi is not just an illustrator. She is a storyteller of dreams, carefully capturing them on paper with warm colors and soft lines. Her illustrations are magical journeys that remind us that the world never stops telling stories—if only we know how to listen.
You can view and purchase art prints of Maja's illustrations here.