DURRANT, Roy Turner

1925 - 1998

Roy Turner Durrant was born at Lavenham, Suffolk on 4 October 1925, son of Francis Henry Durrant (13 April 1896-18 February 1957), a master boot repairer, and his wife Edna May née Turner (2 September 1902-Novembeer 1993), who married at Lavenham in 1924. Roy had a love of drawing from an early age and had his first exhibition in the Lavenham Guildhall whilst still at school. He left Lavenham School at the age of 14 and worked in a local electrical firm but continued to spend his spare time drawing and painting. In 1939, a scholar, living at 70 Pump Court, Lavenham, Suffolk with his parents and, after service in the Suffolk Regiment during the Second World War, attended Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts 1948-1952 where he was taught by, amongst others, Edward Ardizzone, being influenced by Keith Vaughan (1912-1977) and John Minton (1917-1957). His work moved from early landscape and architectural interest to abstract but with a wide variety of style and technique and in 1948 exhibited at the Bury St Edmund's Art Society from Lavenham, two oils 'A View on the Stour' and 'Lady Street, Lavenham'. Employed by engineers Vickers 1956-1963, when he moved to Cambridge taking a position at Heffer Gallery as Art Gallery Manager, the well-known local art and booksellers and became a director of Heffer Gallery. A fellow of Free Painters and Sculptors with whom he exhibited also showed at the New English Art Club and at the Royal Academy 1957-1996. A member and exhibitor at Ipswich Art Club 1964-1973 and had a solo show at Phoenix Art Gallery, Lavenham in 1948 and had later exhibitions at Kensington Art Gallery in 1951 and in the same year at The Playhouse Theatre, Kidderminster also showing at the Loggia Gallery, London; Gainsborough House, Sudbury; the Gallery of British Art in Lausanne; Belgrave Gallery 1991 and Chappel Galleries in 2003. He married at Hampstead, London in April 1959, Jean Lyell (1929-4 January 2019), only daughter of Henry Malcom Lyell of Hampstead, and they had four sons and lived at High Street, Lavenham, Suffolk and Cathcart Gardens, Kensington, London and latterly at Hurst Park Avenue, Cambridge. Roy Turner Durrant died at Hurst Park Avenue, Cambridge on 3 July 1998. Since his death there have been several exhibitions of his work including a one man show at the Fine Art Society in New Bond Street London in May 2008. Durrant published a book of poetry ‘The Rag Book of Love’ (1960) and a book 'Roy Turner Durrant' was published in 2011.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from Shelley House, 102 Oakley Street, Chelsea
1957 937 Stone-table Pits - watercolour
from 44 Cathcart Road, Southwest London
1959 815 Composition: Birch Bones, Dunwich - watercolour
         1000 Landscape with Blossoming Trees, Lavenham - watercolour
from 23a Walpole Street, Southwest London
1963 308 Landscape, Lavenham Wood
         802 Landscape, Lavenham: Trees in Bloom - watercolour
from 33 Hurst Park Avenue, Cambridge
1965 953 Inscape: Nocturne at Walmer - watercolour
         958 Inscape: The Wood - watercolour
1966 316 Inscape: Between Lavenham and Preston St Mary - watercolour
         1175 Inscape: Altarwise by Owl-light - watercolour
1967 189 Inscape: The Edge - watercolour
1968 237 Inscape: Black, White and Grey - watercolour
         736 Inscape: The Head that Once... - watercolour
1970 613 Inscape: Lavenham, Barley
         637 Inscape: Halfway through the Harvest
1971 414 Inscape: Long Ago - watercolour
         417 Near Poggles' Wood - watercolour
         976 Etenebris No. 1. - drawing
1973 635 Inscape: Lavenham - tempera
1075 1116 Inscape: Gronton Wood - tempera
         1140 Inscape at Birley House - tempera
1977 538 Winter Inscape, Brookwood Cemetery - tempera
         547 Inscape at Old Warden - tempera
1978 728 Inscape: Lavenham Variation (7) - tempera
1979 360 Inscape: Entrance Haley Wood - tempera
         1365 Inscape: Wickham St Paul - tempera
1980 1075 Inscape: Remembered Langharne and that November - tempera
          1076 Elegy inscape - tempera
1984 1494 Inscape: Lavenham Variation - tempera
1985 764 October Inscape (Ameling) - tempera
1986 882 Inscape Composition: Remembering Whelnetham - tempera
         886 Inscape Composition: As far as Wreathalls - acrylic
1987 801 Inscape Composition: Cadence Point
1996 764 Inscape on Good Friday: Hesketh's Garden - mixed media

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Works by This Artist