I paint mostly from real life. It has to start with that. Real people real street scenes behind the curtain scenes live models paintings photographs staged setups architecture grids graphic design. Whatever it takes to make it work.

Bosnia is under my skin. It's the place you cannot leave behind. I was obsessed by the nightmare of it all there was this sense of guilt and an anger that has become something much deeper over these last years.

I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I was interested in what was over there what was behind life. So when I had my first communion I was very disappointed. I had expected something amazing and surprising and spiritual. Instead all I got was a bicycle. That wasn't what I was after at all.

Giving birth was the most amazing thing I've ever done. I'd been living in a Third World country and I said 'I'm going to just squat behind a tree.' I basically did that but in a chair in my living room. I didn't want a sterile hospital room. I didn't want doctors. I had a midwife.

I don't think immortality is necessarily the key to understanding the world. You have to be careful with what you think you're achieving. I'm all for science discovering amazing and fantastic things about our world but I think the motivations behind it are slightly askew.

I'm from the Madeleine L'Engle school. The more she delves into science the more she knows there's a creator who's behind these amazing laws these amazing events. The symmetry of nature the structure and order of it.

It was amazing to watch him in the darkroom at an advanced age still get excited when the results were pleasing. He still struggled like we all do in the darkroom and he struggled behind the camera and when he had a success he was beaming.

I mean why am I considered an 'it girl?' Because I'm in a lot of movies right now or am on the covers of magazines? I just hope there is something solid behind that. Because here's the thing with 'it girl' status. It's great and amazing that anybody is saying that at all. But how long does that last?

I had never walked on the street alone when I was growing up in Calcutta up to age 20. I had never handled money. You know there was always a couple of bodyguards behind me who took care if I wanted... I needed pencils for school I needed a notebook they were the ones who were taking out the money. I was constantly guarded.

I'm actually not an exhibitionist at all. When you get onstage and you get under the lights playing music I feel more hidden and more alone than anywhere else. You hide behind your music and let your emotions come out through the music.