Your paintings depict happenings that are very out of the ordinary. Where do these images come from?

The ideas come from my subconscious and my dreams, and once I start sketching, the images just come into my head - they have a life of their own. Sometimes it's only much later that I realize the meaning of the images. I discover that many of these images are like self-portraits, because they're often about what's happening in my own life. But [the connection] is not literal - [the images] come from some magical place deep within me.

Do you think your experiences as a Latin American woman have affected your art?

Yes, my experience as an immigrant from Chile also infuses the subject of my paintings. Because I've gone through so many moves and changes myself, I find that I'm drawn to images of transformation. Changes are like endings or small deaths - you have to let go of the past - but when you do, it's very positive, because something new can then come up. For example, in my painting of a burning boy [Vuelcos (Shifts)], there's no fear or pain there because it's a symbol of getting rid of the old and moving on. That's why he looks so calm and composed.

What role do animals have in your paintings?

Sometimes I feel as if animals have much more wisdom than people do. I give them human traits and use them often as symbols of the human condition. The pig with a rope around its neck, floating weightlessly in the air [Pig], I believe that it represents the need we all have to escape a bad situation. A girl holding a snake [Girl and Snake] suggests her power and bravery in a male-dominated world. Or the young girl with the fish [Girl and Red Fish], who stands firmly like a warrior - she faces her life with courage and integrity, and the fish symbolizes her soul.