Wayne Stephens was born in Ohio and earned his BFA from The Ohio State University. He began his graduate studies at OSU where he taught painting and drawing as a graduate assistant and began exhibiting his work. Stephens’ unique painting style and large-scale canvases caught the attention of his instructors as well as OSU graduate Roy Lichtenstein, who visited Stephens’ studio at the university and urged him to move to New York and get involved in the art scene. Stephens went on to New York and earned his MFA in painting and sculpture from Pratt Institute. In New York his work was shown by OK Harris Works of Art and South Houston Gallery and soon caught the attention of major collectors including David Rockefeller who purchased work for the Chase Collection. Reviews have appeared in ArtNews and have been written by notable critics Roberta Pancoast-Smith of ArtForum Magazine and John Gruen of The SoHo Press. Stephens currently teaches part time in the fine arts department at Palm Beach State College.