About Lauren

Hi, I'm Lauren McRory, the artist formerly known as Lauren Horoszewski. I am a Portland based artist, enjoying rainy days and craft beer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I love living near the river and traveling across historic bridges every day, especially the St. Johns Bridge. Growing up in the suburbs of New York my days were filled with paint brushes, beaches, more bridges, and frequent trips to NYC wandering endlessly through museums.

After completing my BFA in Sculpture and my MFA in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut, I followed the sunshine out west to Los Angeles. Beneath sunny skies and softly swaying palms I worked as a Lead Fabricator in the stop-motion animation industry for five years. Projects I am very proud to have been a part of include Robot Chicken seasons 5-7, Supermansion, The Venture Bros. "Spanakopita", Friendship Allstars of Friendship, and The Simpsons-Robot Chicken couch gag collaboration of 2013.

After moving to Portland, I worked as a fabricator with Michael Curry Design for six years creating large-scale puppetry, costumes, and visual effects for theatrical productions around the world. I helped create puppets for productions including Disney's The Lion King on Broadway, Beetlejuice on Broadway, Universal Studios: Raptor Encounter, Disney's Frozen on Broadway, and Lake of Dreams at Wynn Las Vegas. I have had the honor of performing with both the Oregon Symphony and the Seattle Symphony in Michael Curry's rendition of Stravinksy's Persephone; a mask performance as Persephone’s mother Demeter as well as costume and puppet fabrication for the production.

Currently I have returned to the world of stop-motion as a Lead Silicone and Foam Caster for Laika Studios. It feels great to work small-scale once again and I am extremely excited to help create the amazingly intricate puppets for Laika’s newest feature, Wildwood, as I have greatly admired all of their uniquely beautiful films for many years.

In my free time I love to sew and create quilts, stuffed animals, and crafty projects for friends and family. Throughout the pandemic, I have sewn over 300 fabric masks to help my family, friends, and community.

In the occasional moments when I am not making art I enjoy vintage Portland movie theaters, exploring parks and cemeteries, reading a good book outdoors, and spoiling my very fluffy Mainecoon cat. I am also fascinated with ancient history, astronomy, astrology, runes, mythology, and the magic of the natural world. For the past few years I have been learning to speak Norwegian with my partner after being inspired by a trip to Norway and Iceland. Jeg lever på luft og kjærlighet!