Last chance to see Dora De Larios retrospective

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With the approach of the new year, Dora De Larios’ long-running exhibition at the Craft and Folk Art Museum is coming to an end. But you still have time to catch up with the Los Angeles ceramist’s retrospective. The final day is Jan. 10.

Organized by ceramics historian Elaine Levin, the show surveys the 50-year career of a Latina artist who grew up in central Los Angeles and has nourished her work with a world view of culture, religion and art. The exhibition title, “Suenos/Yume,” means “dreams” in Spanish and Japanese.

Primarily a figurative sculptor, De Larios also has produced functional ware -- including a set of dinnerware for the White House in 1977 -- and large architectural installations for hotels, public spaces and private collections. Images of women, animals and imaginative beings appear throughout the free-spirited exhibition. So do forces of nature, often seen in sweeping abstractions.

The newest works are rectangular towers, composed of glazed clay panels and tooled metal. “Air” is a relatively subtle treatment of the movement of air -- from gentle breezes to strong winds -- in celadon green. “Ocean” combines waterways and fish on a tower topped by a glittering sun. “Earth,” which greets visitors at the entrance to the show, is a monumental figure with a tree-like body and the face of a goddess.

-- Suzanne Muchnic