Born and raised in the Midwest, Marilyn Burkhardt came to Oregon in the late 1970s. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1981 from the University of Oregon.

Burkhardt works in several media, including sculpture, painting, paper-making, suminagashi, and printmaking. The inspiration for her work is animals and nature. She is particularly fascinated by the image of the horse, which she has been drawing ever since she can remember.

She spends much of her time planting and nurturing the native plants on the acreage where she lives. She enjoys the companionship of two draft horses and two dogs. Since dogs have become an important part of her life, they have increasingly found their way into her art.

In 1984 the artist traveled to Paris to study printmaking at Atelier 17, where she learned the etching technique called “simultaneous color printing”.

Before moving to the Oregon Coast in 1987, Burkhardt studied metal casting and printmaking at the University of Oregon. Collecting plants and feathers while hiking along the beach and through the forests led her to the making of nature prints. She also began making paper, and served an apprenticeship at Waterleaf Mill and Bindery in Bisbee, Arizona.

In 1992 Burkhardt wrote and illustrated a book about her dog’s adventures at the beach, entitled Brutus Goes to the Seashore. And in 2003 she painted a mural for the Hebo Post Office. The mural depicts the fish native to Three Rivers which runs through the town.

Burkhardt's entry into the 2005 Art about Agriculture Show Still life with Cantaloupe won the Juror’s Choice award.