Kendra's Art Biography

Kendra Parrish Burton has loved and studied art since her childhood in the beautiful rocky mountains and seeing the art of the masters in Europe. Her education, television work, and training with noted artists from America and other countries have given Kendra experiences which add to her ability in creating captivating works of art and in teaching others.

Prior to pursuing the field of fine art professionally, she spent seven years working in Architectural Drafting and Design as an architectural draftsman with her father's firm. There she learned about perspective, three dimensional design, and rendering. Being able to visit art museums in Europe, New York, and Washington D.C., and seeing the work of the masters first hand, has also influenced her art.

In 1985 Kendra was featured in a series of Art Instructional video tapes filmed at KUTV and distributed nationally through Learn by Video Inc. In 1987 she completed a series of instructional oil painting programs shown on public television.  Kendra has taught many seminars, workshops and classes through the years because she enjoys helping others discover their own creativity.

Her published art work displays different artistic styles. One is called "Joseph the Guardian", which is dedicated to those who tenderly care for all of God's children.  Even though Joseph was not the birth father of Jesus, he played a significant role in His life as the caretaker and guardian of this most precious child.  "This is particularly sentimental to me because my sister and her husband adopted a little boy from Romania when he was 2 years old. I also have cousins and friends who have adopted children with many different backgrounds." Many people find hope in this painting who have "blended" families.

Another art piece is entitled, "He Restoreth My Soul".  The style is more impressionistic and textured. "It was the first painting I was able to finish after my twins were born, one having life threatening hydrocephalus who was left without the ability to walk or talk and had a feeding tube all nine years of her life."

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Kendra's Musical Biography

At an early age Kendra studied piano, guitar, violin and voice. When she and her four sisters were teenagers, they composed and recorded seven original songs as part of a record album. They won top honors on regional television talent shows and competitions.  They also performed in Europe and at the 1974 World's Fair in Spokane, WA.

When Kendra attended college she continued to study guitar, piano, voice and art.  She taught guitar classes and lessons for several years.

After one of her twin daughters was born medically fragile with multiple handicaps she composed a collection of songs called Expressions of Healing.  She has composed music to poems that have impressed her, including one written by Eileen Christensen, a mother with a handicapped son. This was sung at the State Capital to legislators and a group of over 200 people by Kendra's healthy twin daughter on behalf of the twin who could not speak.

Kendra believes we are each "instruments of influence" to others around us, whether through art and music, or through the unspoken word like her daughter.

Kendra believes that she is simply a vehicle or an instrument by which a message of hope and healing can be brought to those who are seeking peace in their lives. "We are all part of a worldwide family helping each other when we can. We each have loved ones and those for whom we care." Her desire is to enable each individual to see his or her worth and infinite value.