Jen’s work is centered in an art form called quilling. Each coil is rolled by hand and placed one by one to create an abstract collage or mosaic. The origins of this art form are not known. Some people believe that quilling was started in China after the invention of paper, and others think the craft had its origins in the 13th century. Nuns would roll strips of gilded paper cut from books. The paper filigree designs were then used to decorate books and religious objects.

Paper quilling then resurged in popularity in the 18th century as a "suitable" pastime for the women of the aristocracy. The art of quilling spread from Europe to America and was favored by the American colonists as a decorative method.

Recently quilling has had a resurgence in popularity, and has been raised to an art form today with artist using the paper coils and strips to create everything from decorated cards to large scale installations.