George: “When we were at Yale, I’m pretty confident that not many of our classmates would have predicted I’d eventually become President. And I’m 100% certain that not a single one of us, including me, would have predicted I’d ever become an artist. Yet at the suggestion of Yale professor John Lewis Gaddis, in 2012 I read Winston Churchill’s essay, Painting as a Pastime. It inspired me to become an unlikely student of art and take up the pursuit. I’ve been painting ever since. The paintings shown here are just a few of the 98 wounded warriors featured in Portraits of Courage, my 2017 book. I painted these men and women as a way to honor their service to the country, show my respect for their sacrifice and courage, and call attention to the challenges they face when they come home and transition to civilian life. As I said in the book, I’m not sure whether the art holds up to critical eyes. (I recognize I’m no Bob Anderson.) What I am sure of is that each painting was done with a lot of care and respect.”