Stephanie Krouse was trained as a scientist. In her early career, she worked for seed companies, studying different treatments that impact plant growth. But a Chicago company’s acquisition of the business left Krouse and many others out of a job.
As cliché as it may sound, another door opened for her.
“Once that happened, I was like, ‘OK. Well, now I’m just going to do what I really want to do,’” Krouse told the Sun one morning at Guadalupe Café.
Stay tuned
Though not officially open yet, The Yellow House Arts Academy is located at 1045 Guadalupe St. in Guadalupe. For the latest updates, visit stephaniekrouse.com.
She navigated a path that eventually led her to create murals, teach art to kids, and now open her own business, The Yellow House Arts Academy. Krouse recently received her license from the city to operate out of the charming abode on Guadalupe Street that she and her husband purchased in January. Her full attention is focused on getting classes started and filling the building with supplies.
“My goal is to be able to have dance classes and art classes and music classes here in Guadalupe because we really don’t have that right now,” Krouse said. “We’ve had different things at different times, but right now it’s not happening.”
Krouse’s dream is for local artists to teach individual and small group lessons in dance, music, and visual arts. Locals of all ages can take the classes, with the bulk of instruction happening after school hours. Krouse wants the arts academy to be accessible so as many people can use the space as possible.
“It’s been in my brain for a while,” Krouse said. “It’s just now kind of coming to fruition.”
Many years before the banana-colored home became the site for the academy, Krouse’s great aunt grew up in that house, she said. The artist’s grandparents were longtime residents of Guadalupe, and Krouse also feels deep ties to the area, which she visited many times when she was young. She grew up not far away in Los Osos and has lived in Guadalupe for almost 30 years.
Krouse also heard from people who are part of the Rancho de Guadalupe Historical Society that previous owners had used the building for art classes. The muralist is excited to reinvigorate that part of the building’s history.
Six rooms divide the newly renovated Yellow House situated between the Historical Society and the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center. An office sits in the back, and a front room will be converted into a gift shop where local artists can sell their creations.
Supporting other small-town creatives is important to Krouse. She invited many such artists to become guest teachers when she was working at Mary Buren Elementary School to demonstrate what Guadalupe artists can do. Representation helped drive home the message that art is available, and anyone can choose to be an artist.
As of late, Krouse’s personal choice of creative expression is through murals. It’s hard to walk through town without noticing one of the giant public art pieces, and odds are, Krouse had a hand in making it.
Across from the Ninth Street Barber Shop is the fence where Krouse painted her first mural in 2021. Students and community members came out for the day to help, too—a “real community paint,” as Krouse put it.
“At that point, I kind of realized that it’s really nice to have helpers, especially since the space is big,” she added. “It’s very good to have people that want to put paint down.”
Passersby could fill in a blank block from the scaled outline Krouse drew on the large surface. It’s like a coloring page.
Difficulties set in for mural painters when the Guadalupe wind rolls around. Dust and leaves blow by, bringing a chill to the air. In those cases, Krouse pauses and returns another time, sometimes weeks later depending on the weather.
Until the project is done, she can’t relax. Unfinished work will keep pulling her back.
Krouse’s most recent commissioned mural was also on a fence, which she completed this year. It’s located at 908 Olivera St. in Guadalupe featuring imagery of people at a park. They’re all of different ages, abilities, and races.
Former students and other residents connect with one notable scene from the mural. It depicts children riding scooters down the street.
“They’ll ride their scooters by or their bicycles by, and be like, ‘Oh, that’s me. That’s me,’” Krouse said. “I just love to hear that because everybody finds something familiar in that about them. So, I feel like the value of public art is huge because it just makes our community more colorful, and it connects to people.”
Another project she worked on with students was creating small, colorful panels with sayings in English and Spanish that are displayed around town. For example, ‘Keep the city beautiful’ and ‘Mantenga la ciudad hermosa.’
Some of the pieces are seen in front of businesses. Others are secured in planter barrels on the street.
Multiple students worked together, and each took a different role. Similar to Krouse’s murals, it was a group effort.
“It was like trying to get them to realize that public art is not really yours or mine, it’s everybody’s,” Krouse said.
Though she’s taking a step back from her position as a teacher this year, she’s looking forward to what’s next at the arts academy.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in July 9 – July 16, 2026.
