Fiddler on the Roof

Dimensions: 16 1/2" x 21 1/2"
Materials: #4-cut hand-dyed wool on linen
Designed and hooked by Val Flannigan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, 2017. Photo by Graeme Flannigan.
Featured in: Celebration 28
Teacher: Tanya Graham

"I designed this piece for my husband’s 65th birthday. The musical is a long standing favourite of ours. I was also heavily influenced by Marc Chagall.

In this piece, I designed it as I went along. I started with the fiddler and worked with my palette of yellow, blue, and green. To make him stand out from a dark background, I outlined him and his violin with yellow, which acted to give him a glow. This was the first time I used black as one of my main colours. I did struggle with the shape of his violin. My teacher suggested that the curvature be really accentuated so that it would like beautiful music could come out of it. I highlighted the menorah tree with strands of yellow and green embroidery floss. The rooftops and village were hooked with an abrashed wool that I dyed.

I am pleased with the suggested way the rooftops go up from the village."
- Val Flannigan, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018