AllanTheAuthor

Okay, Miss Atwell, point taken.I wish to apologize to you all for the long silence on this blog. And unless you’ve been seeing the posts I’ve made on our other blog “The Musings of Two Creative Minds” where we cover a variety of topics on writing, book reviews, movie reviews, as well as a few other oddball subjects. Here’s the link for anyone interested in checking that blog out: Musings of Two…

Okay, I’ll admit it’s been more than say two weeks. Come to think of it, it’s been more like almost four weeks. But in my defense, I’d point out that hey, this makes at least 1 post per month so far this year! That’s right, this isn’t March, or April or even October and given my track record last year, for me, this is soon. So there what do you think of that, Perry the Snootypuss…  SPECIAL…

The GIF above was basically me last night as we welcomed in the new year. I gave 2026 a warning that we would not tolerate any of the shenanigans we’ve experienced in 2025 and to behave itself and straighten up right off the bat. I guess we’ll all have to wait and see if it listened to me or not.  But in fairness, it wasn’t just the new year that I’m being firm with. I’m also kind of cracking…

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Sorry it’s taken most of the day, but the “Library of the Obscure” is now officially open over on #YouTube. And since it’s Trick or Treat season, here’s the trick… Click on the link below to get your treat: Have fun and stay safe everybody!

 It’s finally coming… on HALLOWEEN! Stay tuned!

Hello again everyone. Hope you’ve all been doing well. As for me and Helen we’ve had a LOT on our plate lately to deal with. However, we’re not abandoning our readers by any means.  We’re still getting settled into our new home, which of course seems like a never-ending task, plus Helen is putting in for a number of jobs, especially in the realm of state, county, and city employment. And of…

Yeah… the title for this entry pretty much sums up my feelings today. Why? You ask… or maybe not, after all I’m not inside your heads. But if you are asking that question, well the answer is “THE DOOR”! Now I might be hearing some of you saying, “A door? What door?” Well, here’s a little reminder… Yeah, THAT one. The one I’ve been going on about for months and even a couple of years. Sadly, it…

” ‘Cause, nothing ever goes as planned It’s a hell of a notion Even Pharaohs turn to sand Like a drop in the ocean…” This is a snippet from the Styx song “Nothing Ever Goes as Planned”, from their Paradise Theater album (one of my favorites albums I’ll admit). Anyway, what does a Styx song have to do with today’s topic for this blog entry? EVERYTHING! When we were still house hunting and…

Well… this is my first post from our new home (shown above) in Washington State. It’s been quite the journey to get here, as well as settle in. It’s a whole new experience for all of us, and yet kind of familiar at the same time. At least for Helen, her brother, and their mother. They’ve all lived under the same roof together before. I’m the newbie in this case, aside from growing up with my own…

In this piece the artist begins by using a “pour technique” to create an ocean inspired abstract background, then employs traditional brushwork to create the starfishes in the foreground.

The white and pink have mica in them for a pearl effect that’s hard to photograph. A winter fairy brings snowfall to a forest.  

One day I bought my wife a box of chocolates shaped like seashells. Upon seeing them out of the box I quickly became enamored with how the white chocolate was blended into the darker chocolate and how subtle the transitions were. So, I grabbed some soft pastels and paper and proceeded to try and capture those subtle changes, but quickly realized I wanted something else in the composition. And…

This is a work of emotion and symbolism, with the water of tears connecting human emotion to the cycle of water in the world. We are a part of nature and water is life.

Artist’s Thoughts: This piece is based on particle tracks recorded by colliders, because physics is cool, and I thought it would be cooler with some colors to emphasize the different actions and give it a different aesthetic value.

The technique used here captures as sense of motion as one color swirls and blends into another. The choice of color creates a soothing effect, like looking at ripples in a pool of water. The imagination may bring in other perceptions. See extra photographs below using different lights which demonstrate how you can bring out warmer or cooler tones in this piece. The artist likes to place it over…