Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT recently tracked down Amy Stein, the Santa Fe artist who made the portraits of Walt, Skyler, and Walt, Jr. that hung in the hallway of the White family home (pictured above, during an otherwise totally unimportant and forgettable scene from the show), and the interview revealed an interesting fact: She had no idea the paintings she made were on television until after the second season.
As she tells it, she was commissioned to make the portraits for “a little known pilot” way back in 2007, and didn’t realize that they ended up being prominently displayed in the hallway of a critically acclaimed cultural phenomenon until her brother — who, because sometimes the universe gilds its own lilies, happens to be a high school chemistry teacher — called her to let her know.
Sayeth Ms. Stein:
“It was just a phenomenon, a craze,” she said, adding she’s proud of what it meant for New Mexico.
“I guess I would still prefer having my artwork in The Louvre in Paris but as a second alternative, I think Breaking Bad is it,” she said.
Stein said she tried to buy the original drawings back from Sony, but the production crew felt very attached to them and didn’t want to give them up. [KOAT]
Ahhhh, but wait. Not so fast, Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT. From this Entertainment Weekly story about the props from the show, and where they ended up (emphasis mine):
ANNA GUNN (Skyler): You know those three portraits of me, Walt, and Walt Jr. that were in the hallway? I got one of those. And I’m actually putting in a request for those crazy ducks that were on our glass coffee table in the living room. No matter what scene we were doing, no matter how heavy and how intense it was, I just found those ceramic fat ducks incredibly amusing. I always just imagined Skyler on eBay going, “I need those ducks! I’ve gotta have those ducks!” So I just really want those ducks. They always made me laugh.”
So there you have it, Amy Stein. If you want one of your portraits back, you’ll have to pry it from Skyler White’s cold, knife-wielding hands. Or, like, ask her specifically, and hope she says yes. One or the other.
(via KOAT)
