Sveva began painting the Recapitulation pictures in 1978. When she finished the series in 1989, there were 56 paintings, some of them six feet tall. The pictures have a dream-like quality, and many are bold and colourful. She used more than fifteen coats of paint to create glowing colours. Sveva dedicated herself to this project. She painted for two or three hours every morning before she left for school. After supper, she painted late into the night. Some paintings took several months to complete. Near the end, she was working from a wheelchair because she had arthritis, first in her knees and then in her hands. When she could no longer hold a brush, she wrote poems and explanations for each picture. The Recapitulation series made Sveva famous in the Canadian art world. The series was exhibited in many Canadian cities. The pictures are now part of the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in Edmonton. The Foundation looks after the paintings and sends them to art galleries around the country for shows.

Near the end of her life, Sveva was concerned about her 100-year old house on Pleasant Valley Road. It was a very important place for her. Although she had lived like a prisoner there, it was also the studio where she did her painting and where she lived with her beloved father and mother. She decided to donate the house to the city of Vernon to be run by the Vernon Art Gallery. It has now been turned into the Caetani Cultural Centre, and it is home to many art groups in the area, like the spinners, weavers, and potters.