The 43rd president said that he was inspired to
take up painting after reading a Winston Churchill essay. When
he hired an instructor for weekly lessons, he said he told her,
"There's a Rembrandt trapped in this body. Your job is to find
it."
Bush shared paintings of his dog Barney and a stray cat that he
adopted and named Bob ("so I can remember how to spell it when I
got older") and said painting has changed his life. He presented
Leno with a portrait of the comedian, prompting Leno to say: "I
can't make fun of him now."
When asked what caused a blocked artery that led to his
hospitalization in August, the 67-year-old Bush joked that it
was because he "didn't behave that well when I was younger and I
might have smoked some."
Bush has kept a mostly low profile since exiting office in early
2009 while the country was in two wars and struggling with an
economic crisis.
"It's hard for some to believe, but I think eight years in the
spotlight's enough," he said.
Former First Lady Laura Bush also appeared on Leno's couch to
discuss the couple's charitable causes. They also showed the
strand of pearls Bush gave her for their 36th wedding
anniversary and a video clip of their first grandchild,
nicknamed Mila.
[Associated
Press]
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