Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Robert Joseph Warrens received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and later an MFA from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. In 1959, he took a teaching position at Concord College in Athens, West Virginia. In 1967, he moved south to teach art at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge. Warrens is a narrative painter known for his provocative, humorous, and whimsical storytelling. He retired from LSU in 1998 as a professor emeritus.