About
Meet the Turtle Farm Crew
Casey Papendieck
(owner/potter/sculptor/musician)
Turtle Farm Pottery is the creation of a strangely lovable artist named Casey Papendieck. Casey grew up in Eugene, Newport, and Salem, Oregon, where he originally fell in love with shaping clay. After graduating high school, Casey intended to become a potter, but got seriously sidetracked for many sweet years: living and preaching from a van on skid row, surfing the waves of the golden coast, climbing mountains from Banff to Monterrey, doing migrant farm work across the midwest, and performing musically all across the United States. After a serious ten-year tear across much of God’s creation, Casey and his wife, Laura Gregory, settled in the great commonwealth of Kentucky in 2008. Since then, the couple has lived in and around the Red River Gorge and are very proud to call this magical place home. Casey has a menagerie of collegiate achievements: Associates of Arts degrees in both Biblical Education and Traditional Bluegrass Music and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Ceramic Art from Berea College. Besides making clay art, Casey spends his time gardening, building, walking, and gawking in the Kentucky woods, Casey plays the upright bass, guitar, and mandolin on the porch and in The Handshake Deals.
Noah Broomfield
(Artist-in-residence)
Noah was born and raised in Berea, Kentucky. His mother is a fiber artist and his father is a philosopher. Noah's first interaction with clay was in the Ceramics Apprenticeship Program at Berea College. He quickly found a passion for pots; since then, he has never been too far from the studio. After graduating from Berea College with a BA in Ceramic Arts, he did a year of post-baccalaureate studies at the University of Kansas, where he focused mostly on wood-fired pottery. He also built his own foot powered wooden pottery wheel, which he uses to make huge pots. After his time in Kansas, Noah returned to Kentucky to be the Resident Artist at Turtle Farm Pottery, where he continues honing his pottery skills and knowledge. Noah’s connection with clay is remarkable. From the smallest shot glasses to his largest coil-built vessels, Noah’s intuitive touch and attention to detail is evident in every piece he makes. If you ever lose track of life’s effortless current, look for Noah, and he will be right there in the groove, smiling peacefully, cooking a big pot of quinoa salad and quietly making exquisite pottery.
Laura Gregory
(potter/environmentalist/musician)
Laura Gregory was born and raised in the great state of Texas. While at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a BA in Geography, Laura rose early every morning to be part of the UT Crew rowing team. She was a member of a long-distance group bicycle ride from Austin to Anchorage, AK, to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Over the years, Laura has spent much of her time traveling, rock climbing, doing migrant farm work, enjoying long-distance hiking, growing food, and playing music. Laura currently works for statewide non-profit, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, as the Red River Watershed Coordinator to protect, restore, and celebrate the Red River Watershed. Laura has worked in many creative mediums: jewelry, fiber, paper, screen-printing, and basketry. She has recently started working with clay and is loving the meditative qualities and challenges of throwing vessels on a pottery wheel. In addition to making pots, she also enjoys growing her own food, going on walks with their cats, playing accordion and upright bass in her and Casey’s band The Handshake Deals, and living a simple life with her sweetheart.
Through laughter and toil Casey, Noah, and Laura spin clay into wonderful creations that bring joy and thoughtful experiences to those who use them. By supporting this business you are supporting people who believe in building strong, unique, local economies and who harness life’s experiences into creative forms to inspire and enrich others. Thank you!