Cecil Brown has discovered his own personal fountain of youth — and it comes in the form of a fountain pen.

After having a heart attack in 1991 and open heart surgery in 1992, Cecil’s health problems climaxed in 1998, when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

“I was given six months to live,” he said.

Now, 10 years later, Brown is alive and well, and so is his artistic talent, which he began cultivating after he was forced to stop working.

His inspiration is provided by Mother Nature in scenic landscapes across Miami County, but most of his work is done at his rural home south of Fontana, which he shares with his wife, Barbara.

A long gravel road provides access to their property, which is shielded by a dense collection of trees. A garden and walkway covered by a canopy of green vines provide a sense of tranquility in the rear of the home.

Inside, Cecil can typically be found on a comfortable leather couch in the living room, its material worn over the years, particularly in Cecil’s favorite spot. A bright adjustable light hangs over the couch on a long arm, casting shadows onto the pictures hanging on the wall above.

Each black and white drawing, which Cecil creates using ink pens, has a story behind it. One depicts a wooded scene just west of an overpass on Hedge Lane. The sight of the landscape after freshly fallen snow inspired Cecil, and he quickly sketched it on a grocery sack. It didn’t become one of his prints until two years later.

Another brings to life the wooded banks of Pottawatomie Creek.

When Cecil is done sketching a new drawing, he takes it to a professional to make prints. He has won several awards just by sending off his prints to art shows across the country, and many others have been purchased as word of mouth has spread his talents.

Cecil has accumulated more than 140 drawings, and even though he has slowed down a bit, he continues to create about eight to 10 each year. It’s a hobby that Cecil says is relaxing, and a day will often fly by if he is working on a new piece.

“I’m in my own little world when I start drawing,” he said.

As his talent has grown, Cecil has broadened his horizons a bit. He now uses colored pencils with his ink pens, and he does portraits and wedding sketches along with his landscape scenes.

A recent drawing of Paola’s Park Square was turned into a postcard, which is being sold in businesses throughout Paola. Some of his work has appeared in the D’marie Gallery of Fine Art on the south side of Paola’s Park Square, and Cecil also has a handful of his drawings on display at the Miami County Swan River Museum for its miniature-art exhibit.

For one drawing, Cecil paused a Western starring Charles Bronson and sketched the image from his television screen.

Cecil’s talent is something Barbara can appreciate. Not only has it helped him stay happy and healthy so that the couple could recently celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, but it also is a passion she can relate to.

Barbara has taken on photography as a hobby, and she uses her computer to create artistic images from her photographs. For the Browns, creating art has just been a part of their golden years, but others see it as a remarkable talent.

“It’s interesting, and it keeps us busy,” Cecil said. “Most people are amazed that I can do it.”

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