Rose Line Pottery: CLC Artisan

Local performers, artisans, DIY engineers, chefs and crafty innovators come together for the 10th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival at the Gallivan Center. This-three day weekend, Aug. 10–12, will encapsulate the craftsmanship that our city cultivates while celebrating Utah’s movers and shakers. Spread across the breadth of these pages are peeks into some of what this year’s DIY Festival will feature. Bring your family, friends, lovers to enjoy what this year’s festival has to offer! Visit craftlakecity.com to learn more about this community enriching event!

Travis Sudweeks (roselinepottery.com) started creating pottery when he signed up for ceramics class as a high-school freshman. He hasn’t stopped since. “The moment I touched clay, it was transformative, and I was hooked,” he says. But it wasn’t until about two years ago that he finally decided to transition pottery from a part-time hobby into a full-time gig. Enter Rose Line Pottery.

Sudweeks creates simplistic, minimalist-style dishware, vases and other home goods with clean lines and cool colors. He also does commissions, like the urn he recently created when a customer’s beloved dog passed away. He aims to keep himself in business—without pricing out potential customers. “I love knowing my pottery is being used by many people and not just a select few that can afford it,” he says. “That’s why I price my work affordably.”

Honing his pottery skills and design ethos has been an evolutionary process for Sudweeks. “I didn’t understand design for the longest time,” he says. “Glazing usually turned out ugly. It wasn’t until I became a little older, and started traveling, and even
looking at real

architecture and design that I got a real sense of what style I liked.” Sudweeks’ style has been shaped by hours spent throwing pieces in the studio. He gleans inspiration from nature and his travels—and also his dreams. “Sometimes I dream of pieces, or pieces will appear in my mind from out of nowhere, and I have to make them.”

Sudweeks relishes the opportunity to practice a craft he loves full-time. “For me, creating art is very freeing and, like any art, acts like a big middle finger to the corporate world,” he says. Running the studio is a balancing act for both Sudweeks and his wife, who manages the marketing, shipping and sales. “I am in the studio eight to 10 hours every day,” he says, “making pottery, taking photos, making videos, updating the website, Instagram and the Etsy shop.” At DIY Fest, Sudweeks will share the products of his long hours spent in the studio. He’s looking forward to meeting new customers and growing his business—stop by to chat!