A Post-presidential Painter

After reading Winston Churchill's essay "Painting as a Pastime," Bush took up painting as a hobby after leaving office. There have been still life, dogs, and human subjects. Additionally, he has created pictures of himself and world leaders including Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin. Bush published a book called Portraits of Courage in February 2017 that features images of veterans. His book's net earnings are given to George W. Bush Presidential Center. George Bush created a portrait of Roh Moo-hyun in May 2019 to present to his family on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his passing.

George W. Bush has exposed himself to be an amateur painter in more recent times. Immigrants to the United States were the subject of his second collection of portraits, which was published in 2020. Immigration "is perhaps the most American of concerns, and it should be one that unites us," he writes in the introduction. Immigration policy under Bush's presidency had a mixed legacy. His administration implemented some of the most strict immigration enforcement, and his plan that would have awarded citizenship to unauthorized immigrants was rejected by the Senate. Bush's previous book concentrated on veterans of war.