Italian artist Angela Occipinti presents Magic of Heaven and Earth in Beijing. Photos by Wang Ji/China Daily

In her seventh decade, Italian painter reaches for the sky with her unconventional look at the 12 zodiac constellations, Lin Qi discovers.

At 76, Milan-based artist Angela Occipinti continues to be exuberant and creative. She often works as late as 4 am, including the night before her debut exhibition in Beijing opened.

"When an idea springs up in my mind, I have to realize it as soon as possible. I'm curious to see the final presence.

"It is like reading a detective novel and people can only relax after they know who the murderer is. It is an addiction and one can't control himself," she says.

Occipinti's solo show is at the Meridian Space, a gallery and cafe tucked in a new compound of cultural institutions and art space behind the National Art Museum of China. Just as the title, Magic of Heaven and Earth, suggests, Occipinti displays dozens of paintings and engravings to convey the enlightenment she has felt when observing the sky and the stars.

She has brought her "kite"-themes works, in which the high-flying toy recurs as an important totem in her life.