I'm Galina Baer, recently in my article I told the story on how I started beading and about my experience and plans. Some time passed, and now I am proud to share with you my success and small victories in this year. At the beginning of winter in Moscow the Wonderful Moments Magazine has published several my tutorials; my necklace "Garden Of Eden" took third place in the Fashion Colorworks 2012, and finally my Inspired By Van Gogh Necklace won the People's Choice Award in the IBA 2012 competition organized by the Perlen Poesie Magazine. I am very happy that some of my creative ideas come true; it gave me a huge boost to the positive movement forward and made me believe in myself.

I want to say a few words to those who still didn't make his decision to take part in Fashion Colorworks or perhaps in some other bead contest. Do not be afraid! Nothing can compare to the feeling of joy and excitement that you have the opportunity to invite the others to your world of shapes and colors and discover new names. It may be that you will become a new star, a new discovery in the wonderful world of beauty! I wish you success and self-confidence!

Galina Baer answers the questions of Hiromi Takemura

1. You include beaded flowers in many of your works. Why is that?

Indeed, beaded flowers are almost in all my recent works. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I'm surrounded by magical nature of alpine meadows and an irresistible desire to express my feelings and admiration for these colors make me go back to the theme of flowers again and again.

2. Are you beading something else besides jewelry?

No. Immediately and probably forever, I chose this field of beading. Designing and making jewelry has always been my great desire.

3. How do you select the color scheme for your beadworks?

It's simple; just carefully look around yourself... I often think about color palettes when getting a new "batch" of beads from a shop, and later I use them in my work. During some breaks I especially weave small elements to look for new color combinations in my future possible pieces of jewelry. So one flower motif can be the basis of a set of colors.

4. Do you make sketches of your future jewelry or create them, as they say, "on the fly"?

I do not make sketches for my beadworks - I cannot do it because of complete lack of talent for drawing. But I paint wonderful pictures in my imagination, and often these are the images I later embody in my works.

5. How long does the whole process of making a piece of jewelry usually take you?

If is it possible to count hours doing a favorite pastime? I do not know! Sometimes the initial work is done in the same breath and I don't have time to even fully consider what I do, and when it has already been completed I feel a little sorry that it happened so fast. I can put a beadwork aside and come back to it only when I know exactly that I'll finish it successfully.

6. You exhibit your works at home or keep them another way?

All not commissioned beadworks remain with me, I keep them in a beautiful and capacious chest and I wear them with great pleasure. Sometimes, later they find their new owners and continue to please them. Items done for competitions are stored in other small cardboard boxes separately. The works that I have recently finished or are still in the process, I leave to hang for a while on displays on shelves in my workroom. I rarely make replicas of my jewelry; there are so many new and interesting things I have not done yet, I just don't have time to realize my ideas!

7. Where and how many beads do you usually buy?

Purchase of materials is one of my most favorite things! Basically I buy them in a few online stores, but sometimes I literally make a real research to find the right color or shape of beads. Usually I buy a stock, but ironically when I need the exact sort of beads at the moment, I don't have it at home or have it very little, and have to repeat the steps to find what I need from the beginning. I think this process is endless and, frankly, it doesn't upset me!

8. Do you write tutorials on making your projects?

This year a few my tutorials were published in Wonderful Moments Magazine in Moscow. Right now I am working on the tutorial for a European bead magazine. This is a very complicated and time-consuming job and I'm afraid I do not have the patience to do it often.

9. How do you overcome the psychological barriers, if they appear during your work?

I don't have any psychological barriers; beading is a kind of therapy for me and my favorite pastime. For several reasons, my world is limited and I spend a lot of time at home. I like that I have the freedom to choose and that I shouldn't do what I don't want to do, I just led my wishes. Various themed contests help me develop my creativity in new and sometimes unexpected ways.

10. What pieces of jewelry do you work on now?

I keep in my mind two contests I'd like to participate in and I'm going to create submissions for them. I can only add now that my work is sure to bring me a lot of amazing and beautiful moments and discoveries. That's what I love the most!

My gallery on MyLovelyBeads.com

About author:

Galina Baer, Linz, Austria
Email address:	galina@networld.at
Blog:	g-linawelt.blogspot.co.at