Kendra Burton

Kendra Parrish Burton – Biography 2011

Kendra Parrish Burton is the eldest of 5 daughters and was born in Pocatello, Idaho to Kent J. and Donna Sue Parrish. She moved with her husband, David Gene Burton to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1981. They are the parents of Steve, Andrea, Linda, and twins Sarah and Rachel.

The creative process has long been part of Kendra's life, especially in art and music. When she and her sisters were teenagers they recorded a musical album including several songs they composed. Kendra and her sisters sang in Europe and also at the World's Fair in Spokane. They received honors and awards on the Ted Mack Show and the Eugene Jelesnick Talent Showcase.

Kendra received her education at both Brigham Young University and Idaho State University. She worked as an architectural draftsman for seven years at her father's firm before branching out into the fine arts field. She also believes that studying directly with noted artists from around the world has given her work great diversity. Instructors that influenced her include: Daniel Greene, Zhang Wen Xin, Sergei Bongart, Ovanes Berberian, Vladimir Medenica, Ron Lucas, Mary Carole, Dorothy Warr, Frank Covino, Don Ricks, Jim Wilcox, Harley Brown and sister-in-law, Anne Marie Burton Oborn. Kendra feels that studying the original art work of the masters in person at museums in Europe, New York, and Washington D.C. has been a great inspiration and influence on her life and work.

Kendra hosted a painting program broadcast on channel 9 from the University of Utah education station and was also the instructor of several oil painting shows on video distributed nationally. She has taught many workshops and classes for over 25 years because she believes in the importance of helping others discover their own creativity.

One of Kendra's twin daughters, Rachel, was born severely handicapped with hydrocephalus and was never able to walk, talk or eat and she was fed through a tube all nine years of her life. This fragile child greatly influenced Kendra's art and music. She wrote a collection of ten songs dedicated to the life changing experiences she and her family went through. Her composition entitled "The Homeland" was performed by the Wasatch Symphony at the Salt Lake Presbyterian Cathedral.

One of her best known works of art is "Joseph the G