An Italian-born artist from Enfield has been invited to exhibit two of her paintings at the official residence of the president of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.

Loredana Messina, who was born in Palermo in Sicily and has lived in Enfield for many years, will be exhibiting her works – Anche per te sorgera (The sun will also rise for you) and Today’s Woman – for eight days in an exhibition at the Quirinale Palace in Rome.

Italian seascapes, landscapes and street scenes feature in much of Loredana’s artwork, though, over the years, the English countryside has also begun to appear in her paintings. She uses vibrant colours in her oils on canvas to successfully bring out the expressiveness of interior feelings.

Last year, Loredana was a finalist in the 2013 International Art Competition and had two of her paintings exhibited at the Taipei International Trade Centre, and some of her works are in private collections in London, New York, Palermo and Bari.