Back when he was nine or 10 years old, Ian Allan’s mom decided he needed to pitch in with preparation of the family Thanksgiving Day feast. Assuming the assignment would be a simple one for her then young son, she handed him the task of creating a Jello dessert.

Now 45, Bothell’s Allan said he not only completed that assignment, but for whatever reason, his mom ignited what has become a life-long interest in creating what amount to Jello art works. He recalled that his first truly ambitious effort was a seven-layer Mother’s Day gift.

“It’s kind of like getting in to quilting or doing glasswork,” Allan said. “But with this, you also get to eat it at the end.”

Over the years, Allan has created 3-D Jello wedding molds, colorful layered desserts and fanciful creations for every holiday.

Most recently, Allan took part in the 21st annual Jello Art Show in Eugene, Oregon. The show was Allan’s first, and while it is a demonstration show without judges or prizes, Allan said he was surprised by the number of other Jello artists who visited his display with questions on his technique.

“I was kind of shocked at how many people wanted to know how I was doing it,” he said.

Allan’s secret – which he didn’t hesitate to share – sprung from what could have been a very unfortunate source. While a family member was seriously ill, that person needed regular injections from large syringes. The family member made a complete recovery and looking at the syringes gave Allan some inspiration.

Firstly, Allan said one needs to know you can soften hardened Jello, say in a microwave, making it not quite a liquid and not quite a solid. In that state, the Jello can be manipulated in ways very similar to cake frosting. That’s where the needles come in, allowing Allan to draw or write with Jello on his creations, and just as importantly, add unique layers and splashes of color to his work.

Allan also talked a lot about having the proper molds to do Jello work. He said many Jello enthusiasts work with normal bowls or predesigned molds. Instead, he prefers straight edged, glass dessert bowls which allow him to create his 3-D designs and various layered works.

For the Oregon show, Allan said he created six works, probably the most difficult being a snow scene consisting of sledders on a hill of iced Jello, cruising past evergreen trees. The whole scene was encased in clear Jello, with a white sort of cloud layer topping things off.

Other creations highlighted what Allan called his layering skills and included plenty of splashes of color.

How long does it take to put together a Jello work of art? Allan said the snow scene probably took him 24 hours of effort spread out over a few days.

Allan said there other Jello techniques out there beside his own. At the Oregon show, he said there were plenty of mosaics, even a molded face. One also can dry out strips of Jello into what Allan called a sort of seaweed and weave those strips into baskets or just fanciful designs. Allan added he doesn’t take the weaving approach because, well, most of the time he likes to eat his work.

When he’s not creating Jello art, Allan works from his home, the writer and publisher of a fantasy football magazine. He admits being home during the day gives him plenty of time to pursue his hobby. Being as he is married with two children, does anyone else in the household share in Allan’s strivings for Jello art?

According to Allan, when his kids were younger, they did some minor Jello work. Now, as they are older, dad has decided to let them pursue their own direction. For Dawson, 14, and Hayden, 12, that has turned out to be cupcakes. They have come up with creations that look like, believe it or not, corn on the cob and a plate of spaghetti.

As for Allan, he’ll be sticking with Jello.

“It’s a fun thing to work with. It’s hard to predict what you might get into.”