Shaun Roberts received his MFA from the University of Washington in 2012. He is Assistant Professor of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University where he is the area coordinator for painting. Shaun currently has a solo exhibition titled Rebels and Renegades at The Art Museum of Southeast Texas. His work has been represented in a number of group and juried exhibitions including First Street Gallery in New York; Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in Augusta, GA; the 2017 National Juried Painting Exhibition at The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art; and the 58th Annual Chautauqua National Exhibition. He was awarded the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2012.

Shaun Roberts’ artwork is influenced by his upbringing in rural East Texas, particularly the culture of the lower working class. He takes inspiration from writers like Flannery O’Connor, described as writing ironic subtly allegorical fiction about deceptively backward Southern characters whose transformation is often accomplished through pain, violence, and ludicrous behavior in the pursuit of the holy. The work is also influenced by paintings from the baroque era, specifically artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Velazquez, and Caravaggio. He works from a combination of direct observation, photos, and imagination. The narratives are a mix of fact, fiction, and allegory, charged with a blend of pathos, humor, and the social and political implications of the rural working class.