Artist and Owner

“Follow your instincts as a child of the Earth and reconnect with the beautiful being that is clay.”

Julienne ‘Puka’ Pin is the ceramic artist behind Puka Tutis Pottery. From a very young age Puka carried a piece of clay in her pocket, ready to knead her troubles away. At the age of 4 she began sculpting miniature woodland creatures and mountainous landscapes, but little did she know, her affinity for clay ran deep in her lineage. As a young adult she discovered that her Great-Grandmother had made her living sculpting mini flower bouquets. Holding Peruvian, Mexican, and Salvadorian ancestry, Puka has always been surrounded and inspired by indigenous ceramic art. At the age of 11, she transitioned from polymer clay to porcelain and stoneware. Spending a lot of her childhood in Perú, her work centers around natural forms such as plants and animals, as well as mythic figures inspired by the Nazca, Moche, and Vicús peoples; She aims to shed light on Indigenous-Peruvian ceramics, and hopes to build upon their legacy. While in her first year of college, Puka participated in her first ceramic art exhibition, the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art. She displayed her hand-thrown pottery, and immediately fell in love with sharing her culture and perspective through art. Seeing this spark, her pottery mentor gifted her an old electric kiln, which opened up a clear path to starting her own clay studio. Today Puka is the President of the San Joaquin Potter’s Guild and works Full-Time as an instructor and working artist out of her backyard Ceramic Studio!

The Studio

Founded in 2022, Puka Pottery Studio is a home-based Ceramic Arts studio in Stockton CA, brought to life by Julienne 'Puka' Pin. Originally a personal studio, the space evolved into a teaching facility for Pottery courses due to profound community interest. Today Puka's Pottery Studio has fulfilled a growing need for the Ceramic Arts in the San Joaquin Valley. It is an incredible honor to provide a safe space for children and adults alike to experience the beauty of clay for the first time. We hope to encourage simpler living, and to truly appreciate the gifts Mother Earth has to offer.

Through dirty hands, the mind is clear.