Bio & Contact

Hello! I am a teacher and artist in Houston, Texas. 

Why the name @GrumpyMonkArts on Instagram? It is clear to myself and close family and friends that I am, indeed, no monk. I strive daily to be spiritually sound, but oftentimes my emotions do get the better of me, hence, the grumpy prefix.

In my humble opinion, life is about finding your balance while experiencing the experiences and allowing the emotions that follow. My work shows this personal journey of exploring newly acquired knowledge by way of questioning everything. Whether it’s through meditation, transurfing, reading, researching, or philosophizing with people, I seek to learn the answers to some of life’s greatest questions (though deep down I believe we somehow already know the answers). My work is a visual representation of these thoughts and questions in hopes of putting my own unique stamp on this planet.

I truly believe that everyone we meet along our path is a teacher. I look forward to meeting you, if not in person or social media, then in Spirit. ♥

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Graduate of the University of Houston with a BFA in Photography & Digital Media, Shauna has always found great joy in the arts. Her mother is an artist and a great motivator, so growing up entailed lots of hobby crafts as well as fine art experiences and museum visits. Shauna started her college career as a piano major before switching to photography. Her love for music is oftentimes a driving force for her work and, if not the driving force, it is always in the background as she creates, making subtle influences here and there. She taught music lessons throughout her college years and still enjoys playing classical, jazz and blues when she isn’t mark making.
After college, Shauna decided to expand her love for teaching and found her spot among the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD family. She has taught photography to middle school and currently, high schoolers for over ten years. More recently, as the world began to change exponentially in 2020, Shauna dove into mark making. When a friend and colleague introduced her to encaustic, it was love at first mark! From there she has expanded her artworks to include encaustic, mixed media, and cold wax. Her current works are heavily influenced by nature, philosophy and science; specifically metaphysics and epigenetics. This is where the darker aesthetic that is heavily evident in her work is derived. Her works have been displayed across the US. Her photography has been published in newspapers and magazines throughout Texas.