INTERWIEW WITH LIDIYA DROZDOVA

OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity.
Lidiya Drozdova: I live in Kazakhstan. I create from the beauty around me and give the happiness of creativity to everyone who wants to learn how to paint.

I am the worker of Kazakh art, member of the Kazakhstan Designers Union, of the Eurasian Creative Guild, Deputy Chairman of the Expert Council for Fine Arts in the Guild, a member of the French MONDIAL ART Academy in Paris, a member of the Georgia Artists Union and member of the Northern Cyprus Artists Union. Head and founder of the artists community in Almaty “Apple palette” since 2017.
The 2021 year gave me unexpected joy – I received the dignity of “Worker of Kazakh Art” and a medal for special services in the visual arts of Kazakhstan. Also, at the international symposium in North Cyprus, I received the Silver Key Award and entered the list of Europe International Watercolor Masters.
I also have my own art workshop. In 2021 will be the tenth anniversary since I decided to open my art studio.

OCA: Who is your role model in the creative sphere of your art?
LD: I admire the Renaissance period, the art of the sixties in the Soviet years, Contemporary Art. Speaking about favorite artists, there are several of them: Auguste Renoir, Francisco Goya, Ilya Repin, Alexander Ivanov, Konstantin Vasiliev, Evgeny Sidorkin.

OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about?
LD: Over the past five years, we have held more than thirty exhibitions, six international plein-airs, and more than twenty creative plein-airs. Series of Master-classes “Sea” will start soon. I am going to teach everyone how to paint the sea element in oil on canvas.
From global projects, we started preparations for an international symposium for artists in Kazakhstan. Now we are looking for interested structures, businessmen wishing to become financial sponsors in this large-scale project.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time?
LD: For the first time I’ve heard about the Eurasian Creative Guild from my colleague-artist Marlan Nyssanbaev. It was four years ago, when we first met on FB, then at the exhibition “Art without Borders” from the Eurasian Guild. So we became friends and now we are working in one team: Lidiya Drozdova, Igor Gushchin and Marlan Nyssanbaev.

OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in.
LD: I want to express my gratitude to the Vice-Chairman of the Guild, Marat Akhmedjanov and his entire team.

Thanks to the support of the ECG and Marlan Nyssanbaev, I held a meeting with international plein airs in Kyrgyzstan. Also, with the support of Marat, in one of our exhibitions dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Komsomol we were able to nominate two Prizes for talented artists.

On February 20, a grand opening of the first Gallery of the Eurasian Creative Guild “ZvagWard” in Almaty took place. The opening was presented by the exhibition “The World of Eurasian Colors”, which was attended by 38 artists.

OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work?
LD: The opportunities for my personal participation in various projects of artistic creativity in different cities and countries have undoubtedly expanded. Thanks to these exhibitions and plein-airs, I have established cooperation with many people and realized many of my plans.

OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate?
LD: In the future I am going to participate as an artist in the art contest. It is a great honour for me to be invited by the Guild leadership in London to participate in this project as a member of the Expert Council and to take part in the organisational moments of this exhibition in many cities.

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career?
LD: For all new members of the Guild I want to say that you have found yourself in the excellent union of creative people. In the Guild, you can realize your dreams, since there are friends from all over the world, who can respond and support you in holding an exhibition, presenting your talent.

OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you?
LD: The Eurasian Creative Guild is an opportunity to implement creative plans in collaboration and support of the same talented people like you. This is a friendship with poets, writers, artists of European and Asian countries. The guild helps to reveal and show your talent to the world!