Who is Rudolph Carl Gorman? A passing glimpse into his life reveals an interesting person who lived an unconventional life. But the profound answer for this idiosyncratic character is intriguingly complex. Which Gorman are we referring to? A child born into poverty. A young man trying to survive in a prejudiced society. A struggling artist who, against insurmountable odds, separated himself from the pack. A creator of one-of-a-kind art to inspire generations of artists. A benevolent visionary or the one who, at the end, sank into wealth and alcohol. Enduring thousands of hours of research about a person that I have never met, I came to believe that he carefully cultivated his bigger-than-life persona. While it is a true expression that he enjoyed the journey of his success by celebrating life to the fullest, it reveals only one side of the man; a fraction of what he feels and thinks. Perhaps the good times were a reward for dealing with the challenging times; the extent of joyfulness responsible for the beauty of his work and its vast popularity. Who is R.C. Gorman? He is a Native American who wanted to live the American Dream. The poor kid from the reservation who wanted a better life, to supersede the temporary darkness with the bright lights. He succeeded, in fact, he did it in a white man's world. He did it with unwavering determination, consistent vision and of course, his immense talent. Nevertheless, as a newborn child, he wasn't expected to leave the hospital alive. The world would not know about R.C. Gorman if wasn't for the unusual nourishment of his great grandmother that kept him alive. The Power of his Brush: the Evolution of R.C. Gorman traces the arc of an iconic life. In the new biography The Power of his Brush: The Evolution of R.C. Gorman Nikos Ligidakis traces the life and career of one of the Navajo Nation's most beloved artists. I ve always had a passing interest in the art of R.C. Gorman, even before I moved to his hometown. My parents have a Gorman sketch, one of his many studies of powerful-looking Native women, heads angled proudly, seated on the ground in billowing skirts, and I always pause to admire it when I pass it in their apartment. But I can honestly say I never truly appreciated the iconic artist s work until I read The Power of his Brush: The Evolution of R.C. Gorman by Nikos Ligidakis. The author proves so knowledgeable and likable that you find yourself enjoying the detours, the way hiking the side canyons of Gorman's beloved Canyon de Chelly yields unexpected pleasures. The Power of his Brush makes a unique contribution to Gorman's life story. Ligidakis' research is meticulous. He tracked down everybody from Gorman's old Navy buddy (who remembered the exact moment Gorman changed his nickname from Rudy to R.C. ) to one of his models, still regal in her 60's, along with visiting every gallery in the Southwest that displays Gorman's art and talking to both proprietors and customers in order to distill the artist's appeal. The book includes many photos of Gorman's work, inserted exactly where the prose talks about them, so it's easy to see the features Ligidakis points out as Gorman's art matures and evolves with the artist. (It should be noted that Ligidakis' own Inkwell Press has beautifully produced the book, with an appealing hardcover and small but clearly rendered photographs of Gorman's pieces.) Ligidakis is at his best when he himself becomes an artist, acting as a fly on the wall as he imagines some revealing vignettes of Gorman's life: angrily tearing in half one of his paintings when he thinks one of his customer's offer is half what the painting is worth; his lavish yet comfortable dinner parties; zipping around the back roads of Taos in his gold Cadillac; horrified at discovering a fired employee has tricked him in to eating his beloved pet pig. Ligidakis' knowledge of and passion for the art wafts from every page as reverently frames the meticulous details that make Gorman's paintings and sculptures so irresistible. If you already love R.C. Gorman's work, you will want this book in your collection. If you're not familiar with it, this is a great introduction to both the art and the larger-than-life personality that created it. --Navajo Times From the Navajo Times review: In the new biography “The Power of his Brush: The Evolution of R.C. Gorman” Nikos Ligidakis traces the life and career of one of the Navajo Nation's most beloved artists... "The Power of his Brush” makes a unique contribution to Gorman's life story... Ligidakis' research is meticulous…. The book includes many photos of Gorman's work, inserted exactly where the prose talks about them, so it's easy to see the features Ligidakis points out as Gorman's art matures and evolves with the artist... Ligidakis is at his best when he himself becomes an artist, acting as a fly on the wall as he imagines some revealing vignettes of Gorman's life: angrily tearing in half one of his paintings when he thinks