The Pottery Shed

It all started in a California high school where Joseph Darling, owner of Oxford Street’s tiny creative venue, The Pottery Shed, took his first pottery course. The art turned into a lifelong hobby.

At The Pottery Shed classes are designed in single units; first learning how to throw (shape bowl-like pieces) on the wheel. Next students will trim pieces, preparing them for firing, and finally comes painting, glazing, and the rest. These increments allow students to pop in for single-skill courses or make pottery an ongoing hobby.

After years of teaching at Darlinghurst Public School, some of Darling’s old students are still regulars at The Pottery Shed. A few have been attending classes for more than four years. For Darling, the most important thing is seeing his students smile and laugh, and knowing that he’s given them the chance to make something they can be proud of.

“Pottery is more than an art or a skill,” says Darling. “There is a meditative value – the rhythm and flow teaches you things about your life that you may have not been aware of.”