Who's your hero? I respected my husband, the British painter Victor Willing, a great deal. He taught me how to devote myself to drawing and not to try to do art' but rather to tell a story.
What do you most like wearing? For dressing up, I like YSL and Sonia Rykiel, but for working I wear trousers and longer skirts.
What are your favourite London discoveries? The No 46 bus I catch in the morning. I love watching the different people. I don't sketch them, though, because I'm too shy.
Where's the most romantic place in London? Kensington Gardens, where I used to meet Victor in the middle of the day.
Which are your favourite paintings in London? The Hogarths at The National Gallery are lovely. Sometimes you look at a painting that you hadn't intended to. That's what's wonderful about galleries; you're constantly surprised.
What do you think of London's art scene? It's extraordinary. It's changed dramatically compared to when I first arrived, when it was so provincial. I don't know anywhere else that has as fabulous an art scene as London.
If you hadn't been an artist what would you have become? A drunk.
HANNAH NATHANSON Paula Rego's retrospective is at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey in Mexico (marco.org.mx)
