Bio
Introduction
My name is Damien Kane Rigden and I am a Nashua, NH based artist, author, and vocalist/producer. My background is a mix of engineering, architecture, fine art classes, and apprenticeship. I love creating things and trying out new ways to express myself. Some of them stick, and from that point I just keep trying to learn and grow. I am eternally a work in progress. For visual art I generally use three different media: printmaking, pen illustration, and painting. Since 2017 I have been writing Lyrics and in 2021 I started producing my own music. In 2019 I released my debut fiction story and have since fell in love with writing as well.
Background / Art
I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. After WPI, I spent some time studying architecture at the BAC in Boston. I have taken classes at the Currier Museum and New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. I also studied reduction woodcut printmaking for a year and a half at Piscataqua Fine Arts in Portsmouth, NH. In 2023 I went on a wild journey to discover my own style of painting. From January to July I created 76 paintings and developed my "Contemporary Impressionist" style. Learn more here.
Programming
In 2017 I began learning Python programming through online classes. I have since used this in a few creative projects from a clock which uses my own numbering system, to a couple of cryptography problems. You can check out my work on GitHub.
Writing
In 2019 I took my first foray into literature by writing a Sci-Fi thriller novelette based around global warming. This is available in kindle format, paperback and hardcover from Amazon.
My pandemic project, from early 2020 to August 2021 was a pair of books. The first one, Bell's Codex is an action adventure novel about solving a book which has been encrypted in a secret code. The second one, my magnum opus, is the ACTUAL encrypted book from the story. The puzzle is real and you can solve it yourself.
In April of 2022 I released a suspense/thriller/horror novella entitled "All Manner of Beast & Man."
Follow me on my Amazon Author Central Page.
Music
In 2021 I wrote, recorded and produced my first solo album after years of collaborative music projects. Interstitial explores themes of love, happiness, life and death among others.
In September of 2022 I released ”Up in Flames.” In these chaotic and uncertain times we find ourselves in, I made the album that I needed to hear.
In 2023 I released a single about the grind, and transforming your life, called “Alchemize.”
In 2024 released the single “Analog” about disconnecting from social media and the digital world.
You can buy my albums on Bandcamp, or stream them on all platforms.
Current
I live in Nashua, NH with my wife, two boys, and our golden retriever. I am a senior mechanical engineer and create in my free time. Not being constrained to the commercial side of art has allowed me to explore and create whatever I want. I am really grateful for my life and this amazing opportunity to bring my creations into the world. My motivation is boundless and I always make the time for my art.