Okapi in a Lotus Forest

by mariebarry

This design is based on this classic çini panel at Topkapı Palace:

Okapi in a lotus forest pre-kiln process photos.

Okapi are an animal discovered to the Western World during the early twentieth century, closely related to the giraffe. Living only in the remote rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, they were nearly mythological creatures, known only to locals who were occasionally skillful in successfully capturing them. Okapi are shy creatures with an extraordinary sense of hearing who flee at any sign of an approaching creatures, hence their incredible ability to escape detection.

The okapi in a lotus forest represents the unseen reality.