About

I am a sculptor of wearable art.

I make trash fashion to delight my inner child who loved playing with “garbage,” playing dress up, and drawing rainbows.

Making trashion art also makes me more mindful as a consumer, and a human being on the planet.  It makes me happy and childlike to play with trash, like I am some kind of junk archaeological mad scientist, sifting through debris and transforming it to life.  I know that I’m kooky.  And I know that my happiness and goofballidness helps spread good to others.  I bring a sense of play and mischief to the community and to the world at large, which is important when dealing with such a massively depressing subject as pollution and our survival on planet earth.

The entire process of collecting the materials, altering the materials, sculpting the materials, and then wearing them is a practice of paying attention.  I hope my work positively delights people to look at their behavior with trash, and see it as an opportunity for change.

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •   •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •

Jen LaMastra is an artist fascinated by transforming undesired waste into fabulous wearable art pieces.  She has a myriad of training and skills in cosmetology, costume design, pattern making, physical theater, family business joke store, wig making, mask carving, puppeteering, life coach, and teacher.  Her work is a synergistic collage of her various disciplines.

Jen has been an active participant in Portland’s Junk to Funk Recycled Fashion Shows since 2006, and is now an official member of Junk To Funk’s Trashion Collective.  This fall Jen created, “Pretty in Plastic,” a plastic bag wedding dress that she hoped would bring dire attention to banning the single use plastic bag.  It was displayed on SW 10th and Alder.  Jen has also creatively collaborated with local repurposed jewelry designer, Betsy Cross in a trashion photo shoot.

LaMastra is the owner of Transform Salon, and regularly teaches trash fashion at Multnomah Arts center to teens.  In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting amigurumi bears, and cozies for parking polls, fire hydrants, and chairs.