Clark Mom Turns Art Degree Into Face Painting Business

CLARK, NJ — For Clark mother of three, Lori McSorley, running her very own face painting business was a way for her to help support her family while also doing something she loved.

However, her business didn’t get rolling right away. McSorley, an art major at Montclair State University, worked for 11 years at a print tech company in Westfield after college. She continued to work after her and her husband Scott had two children Tyler and Taylor.

Things changed when McSorley had their third child Trevor.

“I didn’t go back to work, it was too hard and too costly with the daycare,” McSorley said.

It wasn’t until 1996 when her friend was having a baptism party for her daughter and asked if McSorley could do some face painting on the kids since she was an art major.

After the party everyone praised her work and that got McSorley wondering if she could make a career out of it. She began making flyers and working at street fairs on the weekends to allow her to stay home during the week with the kids.

Now 11 years later, her kids are grown and McSorley’s business called “Lori’s Face Painting” has taken off.

“I really like it and have taken a lot of face painting classes where I picked it up very easily because of my art background,” McSorley said. “And I love the kids. In college I was debating on whether to go into early education as a teacher and never pursued that part of it. So this is kind of fulfilling that part for me.”

McSorley’s daughter, along with several other employees, also joined her staff and she has expanded to do all types of events from backyard parties to extravagant weddings.

“I love seeing the kids so happy when they look in the mirror and I get to go to parties all the time,” McSorley said. “My husband jokes with me all the time because I come home from my weekend jobs and have fun at work and comes home during the week complaining.”

McSorley offers elaborate full face designs such as a tiger, Spider-Man, a princess or a butterfly for children and adults of all ages. She can be booked for birthday parties, christenings, communions, family reunions, school fairs and more.

She also has been contracted to do face painting at all of Rutgers University’s home football games.

For more information on Lori’s Face Painting visit njfacepainting.com or Facebook.

(Images via Lori's Facepainting with permission.)

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