Wasp Awakening

24 x 18 in | Oil on Canvas | 2016

Wasp Awakening was born from a profound experience at the Zen Awakening Festival in 2016. Upon arriving, Catherine was first greeted by a dragonfly — a symbol of transformation and light — who lingered and playfully allowed her to photograph him. Soon after, as she began setting up her space to paint, a wasp landed on her paintbrush and refused to leave, as though claiming its role as a guide in her creative journey. Later that evening, she joined in the sacred fire drum circle, where rhythm and ceremony deepened the sense of awakening. 

The painting captures this convergence of spirit, nature, and ritual. The fiery background, radiant mandalas, and watchful presence of the wasp embody both the intensity and the clarity of awakening. The dragonfly hovers nearby as a messenger of change, completing the cycle of guidance and inspiration.

Catherine’s process combines oil paint with texturizing techniques using rice paper, creating a tactile depth that echoes the layered nature of awakening itself. Her signature gold-leaf border frames the piece with a sense of sacred artifact, elevating the subject into both a personal and universal symbol of resilience and transformation.

A radiant oil painting with sacred geometry and gold leaf, Wasp Awakening also reveals the beauty of the Fibonacci sequence embodied in the wasp — a timeless reminder of balance, harmony, and the natural order found within all creation.

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