Durrant had a love of drawing from an early age, his life-long motto was “ars longa, vita brevis” “art is never ending, life is short”. Durrant gained recognition from an early age when one his pieces was exhibited at Bury St Edmunds while he was still at school. Durrant was known to swap his artwork for cigarettes at school but his work became worth more than just a pack of cigarettes in 1948 when he held his first solo exhibition at the Guildhall, Lavenham. Durrant left school at 14 to devote his time to his art. To support his passion Durrant worked in a local electrical shop and joined the Suffolk Regiment during the war. On his return, Durrant was able to secure himself a place at Camberwell College of Arts and quickly moved up in the art scene with exhibitions in the top London galleries while he was still studying. Durrant developed his style from the more traditional landscapes to a more abstract approach. Durrant moved to Cambridge in 1963 to manage the Heffers Art Gallery. He continued to paint in his spare time and published a book of poetry in 1960 titles “A Rag Book of Love”. Durrant’s works have been collected by public galleries, universities and several retrospective exhibitions were held after his death, including a one-man show at the Fine Art Society. Durrant’s self-portrait is held in the Tate Gallery Archive Collection to this day.