Former President George W Bush exhibits portraits of US war veterans

CHICAGO:  After putting down his executive pen, former US President George W Bush picked up a paint brush - and the hobby has become something of a career. An exhibition of his oil paintings depicting US military veterans will open on Thursday at the former president's library in Dallas.

The collection, on display at the George W Bush Presidential Center in Texas until October 1, features 66 portraits and a four-panel mural.

Mr Bush's paintings pay tribute to the nearly 100 wounded or traumatised personnel who he has known personally since leaving the White House in 2009.

As the 43rd US president, Mr Bush had commanded the US military members, who all served in the wars he launched in Iraq and Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

The former commander-in-chief released on Tuesday a book titled "Portraits in Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors," which includes images of the portraits and the veterans' personal stories.

Mr Bush said he wanted to use the paintings and book to highlight the veterans' struggles with post-traumatic stress and the transition to civilian life.

"They're stories of courage, injury, recovery, willingness to help others," Mr Bush said during a Wednesday forum at the Reagan presidential library near Los Angeles, as part of his book promotion tour.

"And I also wanted to highlight the invisible wounds. That's my biggest concern."

Mr Bush's book has already shot to the top of Amazon's best-seller list, and the former president plans to donate profits from its sale to his presidential center's work aiding veterans.

He said the paintings would not be sold in his lifetime but would be endowed to his foundation.

Matt Amidon, deputy director of the Military Service Initiative at the George W Bush Institute, said the veterans have found it "incredibly meaningful... to have a former commander-in-chief to take the personal time to paint each one of them."

All-but-retired from public life, the 70-year-old Bush spends most of his time at his Texas ranch, where he first started painting in 2012.

He was inspired to explore his artistic side by famed former British prime minister Winston Churchill, who also painted in retirement.

"I basically said, what the hell, this guy can paint, I can paint," Mr Bush told a laughing audience at the forum, adding that it helped him stay active in retirement.