Kenn was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and spent much of his childhood on the family farm near Burnett, Wisconsin. His fondness for nature became the catalist for his art. Kenn's parents encouraged his artistic education and following high school, he attended Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After Graduation from Layton in 1973, he embarked on his professional career in Design and Illustration. As a commercial designer and illustrator Kenn received many awards at both local and national levels, which included acceptance in the Annual Sociaety of Illustrators show in New York. Although Kenn took pride in his commercial successes, his heart always belonged to the fine art of outdoor painting.

With developing interest in the historic Plein Air style of painting, Kenn decided in 1984 to devote more time to his passion for painting and the love of the outdoors. He found that capturing true color, value and the mood of a subject was best done on location or through direct observation. His passion for painting has broadened his subject matter to include not only landscape, but also figurative, portrait, still life and wildlife. Kenn's works have been juried into many shows accross the country, including the Oil Painters of America National Shows.

Kenn’s works have received many awards including the 1998, 2003 & 2004 Oil Painters of America Shows. He is a signature Member of both the Oil Painters of America and the Plein Air Painters of America, of which he served as President in 2000 & 2001.His work is currently touring select museums across the United States as part of the“Sea to Shining Sea” Show. Kenn has been featured in Southwest Art Magazine, July 2004, Pages 112-115.