Otto Rigan

Otto Rigan has been a full-time artist his whole career. He currently lives and works in Truth or Consequences after having lived in the New Mexico towns of Roswell, Santa Fe, and Pojoaque, as well as other cities in California and Arizona.

He began taking weekend drawing lessons at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now known as the College for the Arts in Oakland and San Francisco) as a sophomore in high school. After graduating high school, he attended California State University, Stanislaus, California College of Arts and Crafts, ultimately completeing his formal education at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy.

Following his studies, he spent two years as an apprentice at Cummings Architectural Glass in San Francisco, where he could find a public scale and a purpose for his Art. Between his studies and apprenticeship, and with his committment to full-time studio work, he authored four books: "New Glass" (San Francisco Book Co.), "From the Earth Up" (McGraw-Hill), "The Palace Doors of Abu Dhabi", and a practical manual titled 'How to Photograph Stained Glass".

In his early thirties, Otto decided to leave behind writing and lecturing to pursue painting full-time. A few years later, he shifted his focus to sculpture, an endeavor to which he’s been dedicated to ever since. His prolific output has included commissions throughout the US, with various installations in Mexico, Japan, and Europe.

Locally, one of his notable works, a forty-foot-wide by 24-foot-high steel and glass sculpture "Genesis", is prominently located at the entrance to Spaceport America.