Eric Zippe and Jennifer Rice Longwood Community Tree Ornaments
- Marsha Neal Studio
- Nov 19, 2025
- 2 min read
Jennifer Rice and Eric Zippe work both independently and together to create "jeneric" artwork. Eric Zippe is a well known local photographer and Jennifer is a quiet creative artistic force herself focusing on the details of her work. The ornaments they created for the Bellefonte Arts Longwood Gardens Community Tree are simply stellar in their creativity and craftsmanship.
Trees tend to be one of Eric's favorite thing to photograph. The fondness and awe of these living organisms has been captured over the years by Eric with cameras that use film as well as newer digital cameras.
Jen helps Eric with the ornaments that have the photographed image transferred onto the ornament substrate.
On the pieces that are laser cut, Eric alters the image in a computer program then sizes it to fit the wood cutout in a specific way, then uses a laser cutter to engraved each one.
Jennifer exhibits the patience and skill to work with tiny crochet hooks and fine mercerized cotton to create these crochet snowflakes. She crochets them and carefully stretches then stiffens them so the patterns open up and the details stay crisp. Her inspiration comes from historic patterns as well as things that come from her mind and hands after years of crocheting. There are endless possibilities in this delicate art form where tools, materials, repetitive skill, and the right tension come into play to make them all a little different. Like real snowflakes!
You can view these beautiful ornaments on the Bellefonte Arts community tree at Longwood Gardens, during the annual A Longwood Christmas (Nov 21, 2025 through Jan 11, 2026). And you can find Eric's work in the Bellefonte Arts shop and if you go to one of the craft shows where he sells his work, you can meet Jen and Eric in person to find out more about their work.
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