Degrees of separation, then 15 minutes of fame

WARWICK — The recent passing of rock musician Lou Reed is a reminder that it comes as no surprise that many of the people we know from their current jobs or businesses have played much different roles in their past lives.

For example, Warwick businesswoman Cathe Linton, owner of Kokopelli Native American Gallery at 50 Main St., and Reed, who was a member of the Velvet Underground band, had something in common:

They both traveled in Andy Warhol’s circle of friends.

Warhol, who would be 85 this year had he lived, was an American artist and a leading figure in pop art.

Although best known for his paintings, his art encompassed many forms of media including photography, which is how Linton would come to work for the well-known celebrity.

Paint by numbers
When Linton was in her early 20s, she had more than one opportunity for “15 minutes of fame,” as a photographer’s model, posing for the man who coined that phrase.

“I met Andy Warhol through a friend of mine, a textile salesman, when we brought back a trapunto embroidered tablecloth from Switzerland,” she said. “Andy made several designs from the tablecloth and later he needed a model for some test shots and called me.”

At that time Warhol lived in a house in Manhattan formerly owned by a psychiatrist.

“We shot pictures in the rear room which was entirely wood paneled, including the windows, to keep out distractions for patients,” said Linton. “Warhol’s living room was packed with large canvases, including a huge work-in-progress, “Paint by Number.”.

It was also the first time I had seen a Carousel horse in a living room.”

In the years that followed, Linton and others, including Reed, formed an ever-growing group that hung out with Warhol at Manhattan nightspots like Max’s Kansas City and the Odeon.

“As Warhol evolved into the icon he would become, “ she said, “I withdrew from the drug-filled world, which fascinated him.”

As a photographer’s model, Linton also worked with Erwin Blumenfeld, Duane Michals, Bob Richardson and Bill King.

“But I preferred the catwalk,” she said. “The biting criticisms that went with the business were less wounding in the Garment Center of New York. And the print industry was awash with amphetamines, uppers, diet pills and Doctor Feelgood’s 'vitamin shots' of methamphetamine, which were then legal.”

During fashion weeks, when Linton showed various designer’s collections she would be fascinated by the layout on the jewelry table. It seemed to her that it would be a simple way to add interest to dull outfits and perk up a dated wardrobe.

At the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Linton perfected her drawing abilities, even winning $1,000 in diamonds for the school.

She also won two awards for designs from the prestigious DeBeers Diamond Company.

That led to a job designing for Monet Jewelers, where, she recalled, everyone had two years lead time to design futuristic jewelry, which would be fashionable two years later.

Linton left to launch her own business and after many years of designing for others, making and selling her own work at Fine Craft Shows, she took a sabbatical and moved to Warwick.

In 2010 she purchased Kokopelli.

Don Siegel, who owned and managed the shop was planning to retire and Linton, who now lived in Warwick with her actor/director husband, Jim Boerlin, thought a store of her own in a town that she loved would be guaranteed employment for a long time. And, with the addition of her own line of hand crafted jewelry, she has successfully managed the business as planned.

“Today,” she said, “I like to make what I would wear, and what I can afford. I like the unique, the unusual, the unexpected combinations. And because my background is in many years of modeling I’m still immersed in current and future fashion.”

By Roger Gavan