Carol Helen Beule began to grow orchids outside in Southern California in 1994 after moving there from NYC. Once she discovered that the
Neofinetia falcata (Vanda falcata) was easy to grow in her climate, she began to grow them in earnest. Soon, summer gatherings of Japanese style Fukiran shows were happening
and she needed a pot to show plants. Here is where it got interesting, because she rarely liked the pots commercially available.
She soon discovered that she loved the antique pots of the Edo era, roughly 1615-1886. These were costly and beautiful. So she decided to teach herself to make them when not on a film project. That was in 2010. These first pots were made explicitly for her plants and continue to this day to be made for her specific needs.
Carol is a now a retired costume Designer for Theatre, Commercials, Film and Television. After working throughout the US and abroad and winning an Emmy Award, she realized that the skills she had acquired as a costume designer were perfectly adaptable for the design and making of pots for Asian orchids. Research into all the elements of design perfectly matched both areas. Now the problem was to figure out how to make them,
and so she began.
After a few years, different styles and techniques were attempted, adopted and/or discarded. Painting modes, China painting, different glazes and cutting into leather hard clay were all tried.
But to duplicate a pot in less time, making a MOLD of a favorite shape was necessary. Making a mold is a time consuming and very costly process. What results is often a 1 foot square, 3-D jig saw puzzle in plaster held together by extremely large "rubber bands". They are breakable and delicate, but allow Carol to duplicate a pot in much less time that making one from a raw lump of clay.
PRICING
An item's price depends on the amount of time it takes for a pot to be made. Custom work is far more costly than working from a mold. Any of the original pots that were made specifically to be molded are rarely sold. They are sometimes cracked or damaged in the process of making a mold. However, some original pots are for sale.
TIME FRAMES
Pots are made on a first come basis. It can take from two weeks to four weeks to make any individual pot. An additional cost would be added
for any pot needed more quickly.