Stephen Duren was raised and educated in California. In 1978 he moved to Michigan where he taught college for six years. He left teaching in 1986 in order to paint full-time. Stephen has shown extensively in solo exhibitions and in national and regional invitationals and competitive shows. He has been honored with grants, fellowships, and numerous juror’s awards, including many Best-Of-Shows. His work is included in the permanent collections of several Michigan museums and in corporate and private collections across the world.

Stephen's work will be featured in a joint retrospective exhibit this fall between Grand Valley State University and the Dennos Museum.