Roy Turner Durrant was born in Lavenham, Suffolk. He had a love of drawing from an early age and his is lifelong motto was "ars longa, vita brevis" "art is never ending, life is short" and was inscribed on his tombstone in Lavenham Churchyard.

He had a picture exhibited at Bury St Edmunds while still at school and his drawings were currency for him when he swapped them with class mates for cigarette cards and other items. He had his first One Man Exhibition in 1948 at the Guildhall, Lavenham.
He left school at 14 years of age still but conting to draw and paint. He worked in a local electrical shop and he joined the Suffolk Regiment (1944 to 1947). After the war he attended Camberwell College of Arts where he was taught by amongst others by Edward Ardizzone, Michael Rothenstein, Keith Vaughan and John Buckland Wright. and was a contemporary of Theodore Mendez. Whilst at Camberwell he was already exhibiting his paintings in London galleries. His work moved from early landscape and architectural interest to abstraction but with a great variety of style and technique.
In 1963 he moved to Cambridge to take up the post of Art Gallery Manager at Heffers a well known local artists' materials and book sellers.
He exhibited frequently throughout his life, holding numerous one man exhibitions not only in London but also nationally. He frequently had works included in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions.
His works have been collected by public galleries, universities and colleges worldwide.
There have been several retrospective exhibitions of Durrant's work since his death.A book about Durrant ("Roy Turner Durrant (1925–1998)" ) was published in September 2011.