Do you remember playing with playdough as a kid and rolling out "snakes" or "noodles"? If so, then you are halfway to learning my technique, referred to as hand building using mostly the coil or pinch method. No wheel or slip molds are used. 

After a piece is built, I like to experiment with different items and materials, mostly from nature, to see what kind of textures or markings they create. I'm also a fan of burnishing, which is what creates the glossy look to some pieces.

Once the piece has spent at least a few weeks completely drying, then it's on to the firing process. This is done in a special pit in the ground where I will build a large fire to slowly heat the pieces. After hours heating, the fire is smothered with the pieces amongst it until the next day.

The black color comes from the smoke of the smothered fire, which means I have very little control over how each piece turns out at this point. Each fire produces something different.