And the “Jimmy” goes to …
Better Call Saul —Broken Glass Loft’s stained glass— is a talisman magically connecting our masterwork with its subject Bob Odenkirk and, through Bob, the dazzling Rhea Seehorn.
Twitter one day. Apple News the next.
When Xiumei and I started the stained glass Better Call Saul in 2022, I had mentioned our rationale to the Barista of Southport, Ben Clarkson. The six seasons of Better Call Saul deserved a one of a kind reward for excellence so Xiumei and I would just have to create one. “Jimmy” would be the working title.
Coincidentally a few days later on a gorgeous summer afternoon, Ben had mentioned that Bob Odenkirk had just been at the Capital One Cafe in Chicago as crowds of ardent, ever hopeful Cubs fans were jostling one another on the way to nearby Wrigley Field.
“You just missed him”.
The him was Bob Odenkirk.
The you was me.
And miss him, I did.
But I did not miss the concluding season of Better Call Saul; and I felt compelled to honor the show in stained glass.
The 20” x 24” stained glass window would be a “Jimmy” … kudos for neo-noir excellence in streaming narrative.
The ‘Jimmy’ would take months to complete; and there would be no short cuts, so to speak.
We began with the hunt for the right background glass after we had sketched the free form cartoon, chuck full of Easter eggs. The translucent background glass in the rendering would have a pinkish tone that distorted all behind it, and yet would shimmer in both front and back lighting, very much like Odenkirk's portrait of Jimmy McGill.
It would be a felicitous tribute to Better Call Saul’s sixth season in which episode upon episode of comic genius darkened heartbreak. Better Call Saul was a slow burn, but as exciting as any action thriller. No exceptions.
Cutting glass and for the most part avoiding my fingers, I thought that Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are narrative geniuses who painted themselves into a story corner by choosing Breaking Bad’s Saul. They already had drawn Saul so deftly in Breaking Bad; and yet they had decided that the show must go on. Saul would go on, but, as Mike knew, it would not be what anyone expected. Thanks to Odenkirk, the narrative was irresistibly entertaining. For us at Broken Glass Loft, it was ‘showtime’ for the irrepressible Jimmy.
Gilligan and Gould set the standards, coupled with excellence in cinematography, direction and storytelling. To cap it off, Gould and Gilligan cast their vision perfectly with the exceptional Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Michael Mando, Michael McKeen, Tony Dalton, Giancarlo Esposito — all of whom hit the marks of perfection indelibly. Within a story arc of many long cons, each actor matched Better Call Saul’s deft direction, energized cinematography and incisive dialogue.
How could a stained glass artist not want to pay tribute?
In talking with Ben early on, I had said that I found myself woolgathering that when Xiumei and I finished Better Call Saul and i had bandaged all my fingers, Odenkirk would walk down Kenmore Avenue, north of Wrigley, and look up to our loft studio windows. Pausing he would spot the completed glass accolade and say to himself: “hmm, I like it.” Nothing more. Odenkirk's reverie would be high praise indeed. When the subject of a piece appreciates the piece, the artist is rewarded with the finest of compliments.
Back to the talisman story.
Ben has two well known traits: he loves making people laugh and idolizes Odenkirk. Ok, three: He also makes a damn good latte. Around noon on beautiful spring day in April 2023, I was just finishing an oat milk latte with a touch of vanilla. It was a day so perfect that if Adam and Eve had been given the choice, they would have skipped paradise and just pulled up a chair at Capital One and watched the world go by.
What did happen is, however, a mini-miracle that could make its way into, at the very least, a footnote in an updated Bible.
As I was leaving, what to my wandering eyes should appear at the register, but Bob Odenkirk ordering an iced tea from Ben. I figured that I had nothing to lose. I would “accost” him and ask him for a minute or five bucks. I choose a minute. Bob Odenkirk was gracious and genuinely interested as he borrowed my iPhone (rumors aside, he did return the iPhone) and enlarged the photos of the glass work. Effusive in his praise, he added that Rhea would love it! (And I think she did.) He took his time while enlarging each section of the work and asking if he could tweet it out. Of course i said yes and emailed the photo to him so he could. I emailed and he tweeted.
It’s all good, man … very good.
Thank you, Bob.
