In 2001, Versea initiated a new series of paintings. Each work includes a
tiny white human figure set against a dream-like nightscape. Eventually,
the sequence would include a dozen works, several of which were among
her most acclaimed. She described the series in a 2005 statement:
The Existential Hope Series
Existential Hope (2002) Watercolor & pastel, 37” by 30" Published in Women Artists Datebook 2004 (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Cultural Workers, 2003) Honorable Mention, 91st Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, 2002 Minnesota State Fair Family collection
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Existential Hope #2 (2002) Watercolor, 15" by 13" Honorable Mention Arts in Harmony Show, Elk River, MN, 2003 Family collection
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Existential Hope #4 (2002) Watercolor (2003), 29”x25” Private collection
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Existential Hope #7 (2003) Watercolor, 30”by 22” Private collection
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Existential Hope #8 (2003) Also known as Jubilation Watercolor, 15” by 15” Private collection
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You Are Made of Stardust (2004) Existential Hope series Watercolor, 15” by 22” Private collection
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In 2001 my focus shifted toward a more existential hope. This
work is more abstract and the color is shifting towards vivid
blues and greens. The human experience of trying to make
sense of life in all its paradoxes and unanswered questions is
for me an inward journey. The paradox of the inward journey
is that it leads to the realization that one’s inner life, or self,
must move outward on a dialectical journey. If it remains only
within the self it is incomplete. We are all connected in the
relational web of all life. This is where my current work is
focused.