In exhibition.
Work shown in exhibitions across Aotearoa and internationally, alongside selected awards and publication.
Forthcoming exhibitions.
Exhibition history.
Mountain High!
The Gallery Nelson — Nelson, Aotearoa
Bill's second solo exhibition at The Gallery Nelson — a body of work drawn from forty-five years of climbing and tramping the mountains of the South Island. Paintings of Mt Angelus, Glacier Peak, The Minarets, Tapuae-o-Uenuku, and more.
Craigs Aspiring Art Prize 2025
Wanaka, Aotearoa
Accepted exhibitor in the Land/Seascape category of New Zealand's prestigious Craigs Aspiring Art Prize — one of the country's most significant landscape art events.
Fresh Impressions
The Gallery Nelson — Nelson, Aotearoa
Bill's debut solo exhibition at The Gallery Nelson, featuring a body of skyscapes and coastal works painted in acrylic on paper and canvas. Skyscapes across Nelson's Tasman Bay, from the Boulder Bank to the Gramps.
Seafood Saturday
Nelson, Aotearoa
Invited exhibitor at Nelson's Seafood Saturday — a curated public art event drawing collectors and buyers from across the region.
Awards and recognition.
The Minarets — Nature Landscape Category
Third place in the Nature Landscape category of the Best Art Awards 2025–2026. The Minarets presents a solitary climber traversing a snow-covered face beneath a vivid blue sky — bold impasto work that introduces themes of vulnerability, determination, and the pull of remote wilderness.
Best Art Awards — InternationalAoraki High Peak — Nature Landscape Category
Honourable Mention in the same awards category. Aoraki High Peak focuses entirely on the massif itself — a single towering summit articulated through bold impasto, cool whites, pale blues, and deep shadow. Set against a saturated twilight sky, the mountain appears simultaneously grounded and transcendent.
Best Art Awards — InternationalCraigs Aspiring Art Prize 2025
Selection as an accepted exhibitor in the Land/Seascape category of the Craigs Aspiring Art Prize — one of New Zealand's most significant annual landscape art competitions, held in Wanaka.
Craigs Aspiring Art Prize — New ZealandPress and publications.
Bill Rainey: When High Country Becomes Inner Territory
Mountains and ranges act as symbols of endurance, mystery and perspective, while skies and weather become emotional drivers within each painting.
Artist Close-Up Magazine — 2024Feature Interview: Bill Rainey, Nelson Landscape Artist
A full feature and interview with Bill Rainey, exploring his practice, his connection to the landscapes of Aotearoa, and his move into expressive realism.
Louvre Unbound Magazine — 2026Louvre Unbound — Editorial Feature
Accompanying editorial feature in the Louvre Unbound magazine, published in conjunction with Bill's inclusion in the 2026 virtual exhibition programme.
Uniquely NelsonNelson Artist Bill Rainey — Featured
Feature coverage of Bill's practice as part of Nelson's wider arts community, celebrating the region's landscape artists.
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