Clifford Rainey is a British artist whose work has been exhibited internationally for 35 years. Principally a sculptor who employs cast glass and drawing as primary methodologies, his work is interdisciplinary, incorporating a wide spectrum of materials and processes.

Rainey was born in Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1948. He received a Master of Arts degree from the Royal College of Art, London, 1973. He Currently resides in Napa, California, and is a member of the Chelsea Arts Club in London.

Rainey is a passionate traveler and his work is full of references to the things he has seen and experienced. Celtic mythologies, classical Greek architecture, the blue of the Turkish Aegean, Globalization and the iconic American Coca-Cola bottle, the red of the African earth, and the human figure combined with cultural diversity all intermingle to provide sculptural imagery charged with emotion.

Clifford Rainey’s work has been exhibited internationally including: The Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Kunstmuseum in Dusseldorf, Germany, The Millennium Museum in Beijing, China, and the Museo de Arts Contemporaneo in Monterrey, Mexico.

Rainey’s work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums including: The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland, The DeYoung Museum, San Francisco, California, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Art and Design, New York, The Fine Arts Museum of Boston, and The Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Canada.

Rainey has realized a number of public art commissions including: The Lime Street Railway Station in Liverpool, England, the Jeddah Monument in Saudi Arabia, and the 911 Communication Center in San Francisco.

Clifford Rainey has always balanced his commitment to studio practice with his desire to share knowledge. He has lectured extensively around the world and was a lecturer at The Royal College of Art in London for 7 years. He is presently a Professor of Fine Art and Chair of the Glass Program at The California College of the Arts.

He is a recipient of the Virginia A. Groot Foundation Award, Chicago, and the 2009 UrbanGlass Outstanding Achievement Award, New York.

"Nature Boy" by Clifford Rainey