Inspired by Winston Churchill, George W. Bush tells Dana Perino his journey to becoming an artist

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George W. Bush on why he started painting

The former president sits down with Fox News' Dana Perino to discuss his latest collection depicting America's immigrants

Most U.S. presidents tend to occupy their free time after leaving office with golf, family, speaking engagements, and book-writing. While former President George W. Bush has done all these things, he has added an additional hobby to the list: painting.

Fox News’ Dana Perino discussed this hobby, and Bush’s most recent collection of paintings, "Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants" in the recent Fox Nation special "43 Portraits: George W. Bush."

After leaving office in 2009, Bush said he "wasn’t fulfilled, in the sense that [he] wasn’t learning enough." The presidency was an incredible learning experience, he noted, and when he left office, that part of his life was missing.  

So he started painting, inspired by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s penchant for the same hobby, telling himself "if that old guy can paint, I can paint."

No one expected this new hobby - least of all Bush’s wife, Laura.

"I was shocked," Laura Bush said. "George had never even looked at art…he read Churchill’s little essay ‘Painting as a Pastime,’ and at the same time he got an app on his iPad where he could draw stick figures; when he was on the road he’d draw himself at a podium giving a speech, sending it to me, and somehow he started thinking about becoming a painter."

George W. Bush weighs in on the immigration debate through art on Fox Nation

Art did not come naturally to the former president. His first painting was a cube that, in his words, "wasn’t exactly square." But that one simple painting turned into a passion, and now Bush tries to paint every day. He has even painted most of the members of his family - including his wife - although she playfully called the attempt "not that successful."

Bush takes his painting very seriously: taking lessons, reading art history, and studying technique. And, in the end, has used his passion as a way to spur conversation in the United States without wading into the political debate.

"Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants" is the third collection Bush has released, following "Depictions of World Leaders," and "Portraits of Courage," a series highlighting the inspiring stories of America’s wounded veterans.

The most recent series shines a light on the human aspect of the immigration debate by illustrating the inspiring stories of immigrants to the United States through their portraits, and is highlighted in the Fox Nation special "43 Portraits: George W. Bush."

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