I Love Lucy
Khadija Zizi
Acrylics, Sand, Lace and Pearls on Linen Canvas
100 x 80 centimeters
Private Collection
Rabat, Morocco
I Love Lucy
My love story with Lucille Ball goes back to my years in the US. I watched Lucy every day. To me, she is a jester, prankster, and most of all, entertainer. I love her persona.
Lucy married a Cuban-born musician in the 50s and put diversity at the heart of the sitcom. She was independent, feisty, and implicitly fought for women’s rights. She conquered the world of comedy, which, at the time, was exclusive to men.
I relate to her courage and sometimes even her silliness. It was only natural that I would paint her portrait. For the background, I mixed turquoise blue acrylics with sand. Her shirt is made of pieces of fabric from a bridesmaid lace dress I had worn for my sister’s wedding four decades earlier. I delicately and meticulously pasted white pearls as an earring for her.
Lucy’s words: “I’m not funny. What I am is brave”, are still ringing in my ears.