The works of blind artist Jeff Hanson

Left: Jeff Hanson's "Afternoon in Provence." Acrylic on heavily-textured canvas.

Jeff Hanson is known for paintings of vibrant colors and deep textures. But in addition to his artistic vision, he's also known for creating vivid works while being legally blind.

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan

Gallery

As a child, Jeff Hanson (now 21) was diagnosed with a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis, which caused a brain tumor that was stunting his growth, and slowly robbing him of his sight.

Jeff Hanson

As doctors fought to shrink his tumor and save what little vision he had left, Jeff's mom gave him some watercolors, to distract him during his chemotherapy. And as he painted, something inside him clicked.

Note Cards

His mother, Julie Hanson, started using Jeff's painted note cards for thank-you notes during his radiation treatments.

"But as I started to do that, my friends would say, 'Do you have any extras? I would love some of those,'" Hanson told CBS News' Tracy Smith. "So, we started selling the watercolor note cards, six per pack."

"Arriving in Pella"

"Arriving in Pella." Acrylic on heavily-textured canvas.

"Arriving in Sorrento"

Studio

Jeff's parents, Julie and Hal, turned the basement of their Kansas City home into a rainbow-splattered assembly line.

Jeff's dad, a full-time ER doctor, sometimes helps load up the putty knife … and Jeff does the rest.

Studio

Because Jeff can barely see what he's working on, his process is unique, and very hands-on.

First, he slathers a kind of plastic goop on canvas, front and sides.

Sun

After it hardens, and gets a coat of flat black, Jeff uses those ridges to feel his way around his painting as he works.

"Amalfi Breeze"

A detail from "Amalfi Breeze."

First Art Show

Jeff Hanson at his first art exhibition, in February 2009.

Jeff can’t keep up with demand: He has at least a six-month backlog of orders - and some pretty prominent fans. Warren Buffett has a painting; Elton John has two.

"Breakfast With the Queen"

Left: "Breakfast With the Queen."

A Jeff Hanson original typically goes for around $4,000. And for every painting Jeff sells, it seems that he donates another one.

For Jeff, the real goal isn't making a fortune: it's raising a fortune, and giving it away. By his 19th birthday he made a vow to give away a million dollars by age 20. With his paintings selling at charity auctions for as much as $20,000 a piece, he made his goal -- with two days to spare.