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"Might be worth something one day! After leaving the White House in 2009, George W. Bush decided to take up painting as a hobby -- and he has some impressive artistic skills. During a Tuesday, Nov. 19 appearance on The Tonight Show, the 67-year-old 43rd President of the United States showed off a few of his paintings, including a portrait of host Jay Leno.\r\n&amp;quot;I am a painter,&amp;quot; Bush said. &amp;quot;You may not think I&amp;apos;m a painter, [but] I think I&amp;apos;m a painter.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nThe Texas resident said he hired an art teacher to improve on his skills. &amp;quot;I take a lesson from a woman named Gail Norfleet once a week in Dallas,&amp;quot; he explained. &amp;quot;She came by the house -- a mutual friend of ours introduced me to her -- and I said I&amp;apos;m interested in painting. I had read Winston Churchill&amp;apos;s essay, Painting as a Pastime, and it inspired me. I said, &amp;apos;I&amp;apos;m thinking about painting.&amp;apos; She said, &amp;apos;Well, what is your objective?&amp;apos; I said, &amp;apos;There&amp;apos;s a Rembrandt trapped in this body. Your job is to find it.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; (Several photos of Bush&amp;apos;s paintings first leaked online in February 2013.)\r\n\r\nAnd it looks like his lessons have been paying off. Bush showed pictures of paintings he made of his dog, Barney, and cat, Bob. &amp;quot;I can&amp;apos;t even see where you painted over the numbers,&amp;quot; Leno quipped. When he asked the former president why his cat was named Bob, Bush joked, &amp;quot;So I can remember how to spell it when I get older.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;I do take painting seriously,&amp;quot; Bush added. &amp;quot;It&amp;apos;s changed my life and I brought a painting for you,&amp;quot; he shared while pulling out a portrait he painted of the late night host.\r\n&amp;quot;Wow!&amp;quot; Leno, 63, said. &amp;quot;Oh, what an honor that is. I can&amp;apos;t make fun of him now,&amp;quot; he joked.\r\n\r\nTell Us: What do you think of Bush&amp;apos;s painting of Leno?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/george-bush-shows-off-painting-hobby-shares-jay-leno-portrait-20132011>