Portraits of Courage

How often do you paint?

I typically paint two to three hours a day in my studio after I get home. Sometimes the limitation is my legs get tired — I always paint standing up.

What does the first lady think of all of this?

Well, after overcoming her shock—

Why the shock?

She knew I was antsy, but she never thought I'd paint! She's very supportive. She is constantly taking our visitors up to my studio.

Does she interrupt your painting?

Rarely. The only interrupter is Bernadette, the cat. She demands I pet her during the painting process.

What do Laura and your two daughters think of your paintings?

I have painted a few portraits of the grandchildren, none of which were really accepted. Some of my more difficult critics have been the females in my family.

High standards there.

Yeah. But I did do one grandchild painting I want to show you. [Bush begins flipping through photos of paintings on his smartphone — "300 or 400" by his count — displaying some favorites.]

Cactus.… Cactus.… Maine rocks.… That's a scissor-tailed flycatcher.… More Maine rocks.… This cacti picture was our Christmas card this year.… I painted this one of my mother's favorite hats for her birthday.… More Maine rocks.… That's my buddy Ben Crenshaw.… Actually, some of my favorite paintings are of my dad.

It was great to see him at the Super Bowl this year.

Yeah, he's doing well. Oh, here's a grandchild. [He displays a portrait of his son-in-law and one of his granddaughters walking away from the viewer, on the beach.]

Was it acceptable to the family?

Oh yeah, that got great reviews.

What do you like about painting?

You're never sure what the final product is going to look like. So it's an exciting process, discovering how that painting is going to evolve. Every brushstroke is a learning experience. It's never routine.

Now that you have this hobby, do you view the world differently?

Yes, I think about painting all the time. And I view colors differently. So if you look at the sky, you may see it as one color. But I see it as a series of colors. Or I think, Look at the shadow that goes across that grass or concrete.

As you painted these 98 veterans for your new book, what were you thinking?

For a while I was thinking, How can I make that person's portrait better?!

But really, I was thinking about why I was doing this book in the first place. It's to honor veterans I've gotten to know, who are an incredible asset to our country. Think about it: Eighteen-year-old kids volunteered to face danger. And when you get to know these men and women the way I do, you realize they want no pity. They're proud of their accomplishments. They would do it again.

And they need help. So the purpose is not only to honor them — and, frankly, to do something unique that has never been done, which is a commander in chief painting portraits of troops he put into combat — but also to call attention to the invisible wounds of war like PTS and TBIs.

The other reason to do the book is that maybe some vets will read the story of, say, Michael Rodriguez and find something that helps them. Over time, Rod's been [overcoming his wounds], and one of the ways he's doing this is by learning to forge metal. So maybe  somebody'll  see Rod or somebody else and go, "Wow, I can relate to them, and maybe I'll follow their same path."

Because we've learned that many vets with these wounds think there's shame attached, that "I'd better not talk about this because people might think I'm weak." Or "I'd best keep it inside because someone may not hire me."

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A warrior mentality.

Very much so. And the message of this book is, it's courageous to talk about it. And if you need help, seek it. Some people in the book were reluctant to talk but began to as step one of the healing process. We discovered through our bike rides, through our golf tournaments, that when vets talk to vets, it really helps.

Do we do enough for our vets?

I think we try. I think when you compare this with the Vietnam era, we do a heck of a lot more, starting with respect and appreciation for sacrifices. The institute is part of helping determine what works and then getting the message to the vets. Because the truth of the matter is, a vet has to want to help him- or herself.

You left a very big job and started thinking about what you wanted to do, then started doing those things. What advice do you give to veterans who have left what might have been the biggest job in their lives?

The first message is, you've got some skills that are really important. And you can make a significant contribution to a company, a nongovernmental organization, a group of people. Secondly, you've got to learn how to talk about it.

How have the vets reacted to the portraits you painted of them?

Well, I think they're all very pleased and honored that I would paint them. Probably a little surprised. I've probably never gotten an honest reaction. [Laughs.] Because I don't think they want to offend a commander in chief.

You're from a long-lived family; you probably have another 20, 30 years to go, at least. How will you be spending that time?

Well, grandparenthood is great. Defending the values of the Bush Center, I think, is going to be very important. Laura and I will be going to Africa this spring to encourage Namibia and Botswana to continue with the cervical cancer effort that was started here at the Bush Center. That's going to be very important.

But the painting trip has no end. When you look at my early paintings today, you can see I've learned a lot. And when you study the history of painters, it's an evolutionary process. I don't know where it's going to end up.

Thank you for your time, President Bush. It's been a pleasure.

Thank you, buddy. Thanks for coming down.