Radio journalist Alan Jones once said that among many Ljubicic’s customers is one of the former members of Spice Girls. The prices of his paintings were amounting up to 24,000 USD.
Ljubicic’s last solo exhibition entitled “The Scent of Painting” is currently displayed in Michael Reid Gallery in Sydney. Four days after the opening, only three paintings remained unsold. It is a colorful floral eruption of colors, paintings in sharp in shades of blue, red and pink, while other colors remained somewhat more subdued.
The thing that makes Ljubicic different from the stereotype of the young artists who cannot earn to feed himself is his urge to work, create and collaborate with other artists, and not only as a painter. At his exhibitions can be purchased bottles of essential oils based on magnolia essence of Damascus. Also, there are also hand-made scarves by Edinburg designer Kmossedo, with motifs from Ljubicic’s paintings.
Back on the beginning, Ljubicic started selling equipment for painting over the internet in order to prove his friends that a person can earn as artist. Soon, his colleagues started sending him orders, and he decided to open a store with a help of his parents’ savings of some 60,000 USD. That was 8 years ago. Today, Ljubicic’s parents are working for him in his shop in Zetland. He says that without their trust and support he does not know what he would be doing today.
In his studio everything is in chaotic mess. The studio is full of unfinished paintings and open containers with paint. The plates for mixing colors with colorful experiments are everywhere. By accepting the trends of modern art, Ljubicic escapes from the conceptuality and says that “you do not need a degree in art to understand what is going on in his paintings.”
“You know what they say – artists are the most dangerous people,” said Ljubicic. “They hang out with everyone – both with rich and the poor.” And of course, with beautiful women.
(Source: avaz.ba)