‘I’m always looking for new stories’

When you look back at your earliest work, what do you feel? What has changed?

The pictures have changed many times. They have to change, or they feel dead and I feel flat. You get interested in other things as you get older. I’m more interested in the Virgin Mary than in boyfriends.

What has stayed the same?

I always need a story. Without a story, I can’t get going. Maybe the story changes in the doing of it. I might discover it isn’t what I thought or intended. But I need it to find my way. I’m always looking for new stories.

Which stories have been most beckoning – and why?

I’ve found traditional Portuguese folk tales the most useful, because they are me, they are my background.