Jeffrey Kirkeeng Trimming a Serving bowl on the Potter’s Wheel

Serving Bowl Finishing Tips. This is a great bowl for serving seafood, salads, sushi, and slice fruit.
Drying out the bottom of a serving bowl is the first step to finishing your piece.
Learn how this is done in this free video clip from a San Diego clay pottery expert.

Why do we trim pottery?

1. To finish the pot by removing excess clay on the lower part that could not be accessed while throwing.
2. To give the pot walls and bottom an even consistent thickness throughout.
3. To give the pot a foot for stability and/or function.
4. To give the pot aesthetic beauty and “lift”.
5. To create a stopping or break point for glaze to prevent run off onto the kiln shelf (see note 1 below).

When do we trim?

The pot should be “leather hard”, that is it should be the consistency of chocolate or cheddar cheese. You should be able to press a finger nail into the clay but it should be firm enough to be handled without damaging its shape.

About the artist : Jeff is a self-taught artist living in San Diego . Kirkeeng received most of his formal art training in high school and he graduated from Brown University with a liberal arts degree in East Asian Studies. Jeff teaches pottery at his Art Wheel Pottery Studio in Imperial Beach, California. Kirkeeng teaches his students the three basic techniques for hand building with clay: pinch, coil and slab methods.