Historian mark moyar chronicles the rise of special Operation Forces in his book, pozen a full. You watching book tv in prime time on cspan2. Since he left the white house, president george w. Bush has taken up painting. Creating portraits of military veterans. They have been published in the book, portraits of courage. President bush talked about why he decided to paint these veterans and his time in office. Good evening. I have the honor of being the executive director. I thank you for joining us. In honor of our men and women who defend our freedom around the world in uniform please stand and join me for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. Now that we have said the pledges that are fake, like it if all of those who are with the armed forces here today whether active, or retired as well as their families, they stand so we may show you our appreciation. [applause] [applause] we thank you so very much. On that note, there are a few other people i like to recognize. Start their board of trustees, president bushs ambassador, bob and his wife maria. Supporter of. From the reagan family, micah and cameron. [applause] the status of women in just a few more, a former congressman and his wife. [applause] of the elected officials from the county of ventura. Simi valley. [applause] president bushs secretary of the treasury. [applause] and lastly, retired u. S. Army officer, gary and his wife. [applause] id be remiss if i did not mention that jerry became paralyzed from the waist down when the helicopter crashed while conducting operations in iraq in 2008. Thanks to the generosity of the he can now walk through the existence of an excess skeleton. [applause] is like to know what an exoskeleton is, gary will be at the Reagan Library tomorrow night for an event to share his story. We have a all to come back tomorrow at the same time for will be an inspirational event. Thank you for coming. [applause] now, to begin her conversation with our special guests another of our foundations trustees. Fred has served, as the Reagan Foundation chairman for 22 years. Prior to his chairmanship he served in the white house from 82 89. After that he served as the dragons first post white house chief of staff. I know of no the person who spent more time and effort working on behalf of ronald and nancy reagan over the years. Fred, you never brag about the fact. Please join me in welcoming to the stage, mr. Fred ryan. [applause] [applause] thank you for the kind introduction. Our special guest tonight has been here several times. First is unity majorleague baseball team. Then as governor texas. His back as candidate for the United States back as president of the United States to dedicate air force one has been heres a former president of the United States and author of a popular book. Tonight his back is an accomplished painter. So i wonder what have be on his next visit here. Because they observe what president s do when they leave the white house. After serving in the most powerful and demanding child they deserve to spend time doing things they just enjoy and wants to the most. Some take on bold new challenges and exciting adventures. One of my favorite became a skydiving enthusiast until his wife put a stop to it. There have been a few artists among our former president s including grant, carter, and carter. No president has ever attempted portraiture. The 43rd president ventured into that because he was so moved by the sacrifices of our wounded american warriors. He began the challenge of capturing them on campus. I look at the vision of portraits and all. That only because the talent and skill that because the subject matter. He finds a way to take the strength, dignity and patriotism and left it out for us all to see. The essence of the warrior spirit. Hopefully it gives us a better understanding of these heroic veterans. In this book, portraits of courage to tell the story of 60 brave souls. The goal is to honor our men and women in uniform, highlight family members and caregivers bear the burden of their sacrifice. To encourage those struggling and to help american supporter veterans and empower them to succeed. Theres no question the president has achieve those goals. In doing so he has revealed a bit of himself. Oscar wilde wrote every portrait painted with feeling is a portrait from the artist. This rather the painter who reveals himself. Now migrate honor to introduce the 43rd president of the United States, george w. Bush. [applause] thank you. Thank you for the kind remarks thank you so much for vitamin e back for the trustees i hope to see you again a memo to brian. I painted him. I asked his mother what he thought of the painting and i thought he just had a face only a mother could love. And she liked it. It was a huge relief. As you can see we have a full house. Were streaming this online. There have been a number of questions submitted about the book, your painting, and a few other subjects. I want to mention to those here and online that the book is not available, portraits of courage. A top seller on amazon, or if you go to the push center directly at push. Middledot or, it is available straight from this earth. Theres a special edition personally signed by the president. All proceeds will go to the veterans causes. [applause] the first thing Everyone Wants to know is, when did you start painting . I was an art agnostic for most of my life. A terrible admission to make. I get back from washington and i will be book in another book. Im trying to stay fit. Im working at the bush center but it wasnt enough. When youre the president un 10t day it is zero. I had an anxiousness to keep moving and learn something. I read Winston Churchills painting as a pastime. He took up painting. The essay is worth reading. I basically said, if this guy campaign, i can paints. [laughter] i told that to laura and she said yes, sure. I hired an instructor, gail. She came over to the house and said, what is your objective . And i said there is a rembrandt draft was spotty. On in this body. But i painted a cube and a watermelon. It was a liberating experience. I have been painting ever since for about five years. The first question we have is, did you have a history of painting as a child early in your life . Did your mom tape any of your painting to the refrigerator . No. I was not that interested in arts. Now i am. So goes to show, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Our age, 70 is sitting around with your pals there are only two topics of medication conversation. What medication are you taking and how are your grandkids. My buddy say you have a passion for painting not to try. I am living. To tell you you do not know what you can do unless you try. My copper aging baby boomers, let it out. Run to the finish line. The next question is a sense of you taking. [laughter] i grandkids are gray. Very good fred, i didnt think you had a baby. Next question from janet. She said, you started painting farm animals and World Leaders. Was the first winter warrior you painted and why . My mother who can be quite plainspoken heard i was painting and she basically said you cant pay. This is a woman his when i told her i was going to run against and richard said, you cannot win. And so she said, my dogs. So i became a pet portrait painter and painted bob the cat, bernie the cat. Barney and then an instructor, one of the greatest things an instructor can do is set new horizons for the student. My instructor brought over and said you are to paint the portraits of World Leaders. And im saying this guy actually thinks i could do that . And i did that. And so i have two instructors now. One is at the house set i understand you painted these World Leaders said european portraits of people nobody knows. It dawned on me that i have to pay these warriors. So have democrats on golf tournaments with these wounded vets. Like dinosaur biker. Then i started studying their stories. The first gaia was painted is where you hear and he said because i cant get out of my mind seen the buddy who got killed. And i paint pictures or photos and i find painting, thinking what that must be like in his mind. He then writes me a letter later and as a result is much more comfortable talking about. Brian is working with a lot of troops and they dont want to talk about it. They think people will not understand me or it will not get promoted. I would never get hired. They keep it inside. Turner writes me a letter that said it enabled me to start sharing my story, that step onto seeking help. So i repainted turner. I was trying to show people how one can improve when you deal with this stigma. I something to show people i improved as a painter as well. The next question follows up, what is the process for painting a portrait. Today sit in the studio . Do they get to see and approve it . Have you ever had someone who is unhappy . Yes, my wife. I painted laura one time, i thought it was a good painting. At first it was too anguished and family said forget it i did pay my mother for her 90th birthday was a painting of her walking her to talks on the beach but in order to do the angst where showed me i painted my mom from the past. [laughter] via id painful photos. The only person i ever painted i was me. When my instructors convince me to pay myself looking in the mirror. Its hard to paint file while you like him in the mirror. So i did not run up events. As giuseppe liked it. I was nervous about some of them. Theres a guy in their name todd. Todd wrote us a letter about what it was like to be in more. Is painting todd he told us he had night sweats and size thinking about what it was like to have night sweats. So its a dark painting in a sense. I saw todd two days ago and i said i will show you painting. So thats really good. I said i will commanderinchief. Can telling the truth. He liked it and it was a great relief. They collected because i captured the anguish he felt. Doesnt that anymore and i wish i could repaint him but the book is out. [laughter] which of your winter warrior portraiture was the toughest to paint . Theyre all tough and away. When you think about it. Every one of these, some had very physical ones and for and all the med pts or dramatic brain injury. Hard to, my baby boomer vietnam war. Its like theres a draft when they came home they were treated for an attack would defend the country millions volunteered. To be able to salute people was a high honor. So oftentimes i thought about the integrity and courage of those willing to volunteer to wear the uniform. So i had a lot of pride in painting them. The toughest was mia melissa dancing. She was the first woman to lose her leg in combat. She was a bronze medal in rio. Im sitting next to her and she says lets dance. And i said i dont want to do hits. Not a good dancer. So the z part was her. Most of the painting i look like alfred e newman. Remember him. It where do you do painting, who cleans up and how long does it take to do portrait. I paint upstairs at the house. And another where i can retreat to. And, i clean up. Most of the time. Laura is a neat nick. An oil painting is not neat. I limit my palate to two yellows to reds, a blue and white. And the blue is a very powerful blue. You get a little nick on your finger and you dont get it totally clean it down on a white bedspread, its blue. So im not a very good cleaner. This took me a year to paint these portraits a painting is really never done. I look at some of these and wish i could put them back on the easel. But at some point have call it quits so i live with these portraits for a year. I would go upstairs and look at obrien say i think i have to touch them up a little bit more. So, i cannot answer this question. Michael and greenwich asked, have you ever been on happy with the painting and tossed it aside . Yes. Many times a paint and get in bed and then think about it and get in bed and then scrape it all off. Thats good thing about oil painting. Acrylic strike so fast there is no scraping. So, yes, all the time. Good thing about oil is you can keep painting over it. Theres questions beyond the painting but from betty in washington, d. C. She writes, in a time when someone calls uncertainty, what can you tell the other generation of our country. Read history. I remember somebody telling me, youve had the toughest presidency and i said, not even close. How about Abraham Lincoln when the country was at war with each other. Or how about 50 years later, it was a tough time there something unique about us, we have a spirit that cannot be extinguished. Millions were the uniform and got phds in life. At a young age. So the fundamental question is, can we help them transition because they are the leaders of the future. Thats what this project is about. Helping people take the skill set and transition to bring the skills into civilian life. Theres a military civilian divine, some of it has to do with language. Vice president of human relations says whats your skill set . Sniper. Well, i dont think we need one the sheer. But if the person has set im disciplined, work hard, im a team player, i can take pressure, all of a sudden the civilian takes a different look. So one of the challenges we have is understanding how the military thinks. So the kids have to understand the history of the country. And youll see, there is a resiliency to us that should make people optimistic. My concern the rhetoric and politics is so out of hand the good people said dont want to get in politics. This is not the first time theres namecalling and politics. There may have been names called at me at one time, im not sure. Cap in chicago asks her rights, were so glad to see her dad to make it to the super bowl for the coin toss just days after leaving the hospital. [applause] how is he doing, and how is your mom . Theyre both great given their limitations. Dad cant walk, hes confined to a wheelchair yet his spirit is joyful. I went to see dad three years ago of the Union Methodist hospital in houston. He had been into the icu room its not real warm. When i said can my libraries opening in three months. I sure want you there. His voice is weak and he says, i will be there son. I love tearful think it probably not. The most important thing to me, its nice to have the former president s, but dad was on the stage. Flipping the coin reminded me of the library opening. This guy has a huge desire to live. It had to have started when he was 19 years old floating on the raft. Worried about the japanese capturing and killing him. Moms doing fine, she is shrinking and that she does her voice gets louder. But, she is a piece of work is what she is. [laughter] [applause] a question from the audience. Why did you criticize President Trump recently after not criticizing president obama . Heres what happens. I messed a question, do i believe in prepress. In the answers, absolutely i believe in prepress. As should every american. Because the press holds people to account. Power is very addictive. Its corrosive if it becomes central to your life. There needs to be an independent group of people who hold you to account. I went anybody who is president to succeed. Were all in this deal together. And so i understand some of my sometime mist remarks can be construed as criticism. Theyre certainly not meant to be. And every finish this book tour, you probably wont hear from me for a while. I like privacy. The being that be presidency. People say thank you for your sacrifice, not a sacrifice to serve a country you love but you sacrifice anonymity. I cant walk down madison avenue new york without drawing flies. Man i ought to but that a little better. Without drawing [laughter] without drawing a lot of attention. And i to the extent i can have privacy, i like it. Whats what art has done. Given me a chance to not be totally inside yourself, but it is a i mentioned a learning experience but also very its amazing how time moves, which is a little scary when youre 70. Bertha writes the bush standing is viewed as civility and politics. Are politics less civil today than in the parse and if so, why. I think politics has always been a rough sport. Theres always again, if you head read history, theres a lot of places in campaigns there was slander and people saying bad things. What has changed, however, is how people get their news. So, believe it or not, im the first black berry the first email president. Just the email the blackberry was a government issue right at the end of bill clintons time. And the robe i make that point is technology has changed so dramatically and so quickly, as has the dispersal of noise. In the old days the three, abc, nbc, and cbs, and now its from people get news and information from all over the place, and part of the issue with this new these in disbursal agents you can be anonymous. Theres no responsibility. Theres no accountabilitywhatsoever, and which lends itself to some pretty angry messages going out. And the danger, as is mentioned earlier, is good people say issue dont want for get involved. Thats a huge problem. The still is only a goods as the willingness of good people to be involved it in. A question for michael in buffalo. Ronald reagan had the famous line of asking, are we better off than we were four years snag is the world a more dangerous place than it was four years ago . The world is a dangerous place, and this may be taken as criticism of one of my successors and i dont mean it to be. There is a lesson, however, when the United States decides to not take the lead, and withdraw. Vacuums can be created when u. S. Presence recedes and that vacuum is generally filled with people who dont share the same ideology, the same sense of human rights and Human Dignity and freedom that we do, and theres an isolationist ten deputy in our country, and i would argue thats dangerous to our National Security and doesnt bee fit doesnt befit the character of the country. You mentioned [applause] you talked about social media. I looked on twitter for the account of george w. Bush and it was described as locked. Do you tweet . No. Do you recommend it to others . Loaded question. No, i dont tweet. If there is a twitter account under my name, somebody else is running it out of the bush center. This is an interesting question. We do good things at the c. A. P. At the bush center but the only way i make news is cite sizing my successor or or criticizing my party. So how do you get good news out so that people who are supporting our center can fine out about it. These twitter and instagram and things are useful ways to commune communicate a group of people who are interested in what we are doing if guess we do. I dont. I do do facetime. With my [laughter] thats hightech, isnt it . Cutting edge . With my grandkids. Like watching a home movie every day. Its awesome. Theyre doing well, by the way. Good. And those medicines youre taking . [laughter] you made an account. From your eight years as americas leader what advice might you give those who lead our country today you talked about what you dont want to do but what advice smooth you give those who are thinking of running in the future. My advice starts with know what you dont know. Find people who do know what you dont know, and listen to them. My advice is that the job is different once you get in. It looks one way, and then you get in the oval office and it looks different. Trust me. And my advice, though, if youre thinking about it, go for it. Unless, of course, you whole life is wound up in whether you win or lose. Then dont go for it. My dad never won the state of texas until 1988. So he loses in 64, he loses in 70, he loses to Ronald Reagan in 1980, and because i think this is were not very good at psychobabble but a i think because his priorities were his faith and his family and his friends, that loss, while it stung, was tolerable, and then he wins in 1988 and becomes president of the United States. Hard to believe. You cant win your own state three times and you end up being president , which i think speaks volumes about the question you just asked. Which is take risk. But make sure you got the right foundation on which to take risk. More questions about painting. Would you have painted in the white house if you knew you had these skills . You know, those are like theres no doovers. Would you i have taken down the sign Mission Accomplished on the uss Abraham Lincoln . Yeah, i would have. I dont know. Its a good question. Doubt it. I mean, it is a allconsuming job. You think about the presidency and the problems youre dealing with and issues youre dealing with all the time. What it starsling is when youre not president , because mankind can adjust to the environments in which they live, pretty adaptable, and the next day, like in crawford, after you have to get the coffee yourself, you wake up and realize, you no longer have that sense of responsibility and its pretty startling. So i fells my answer to your question is, the reason you have a sense of responsibility us because the job is allconsuming. Do you see the world differently now through the eyes of an artist . I do. What ways . Well issue was on Ellen Degeneres show today who is a very fine person, and i looked in her eyes and saying, i can mix that color. [laughter] i see colors and shadows. I never did before. See the sky differently. And so, yeah, i do. I do. I dont know if its made me a more centered person or sensitive and all that stuff but know this. It is has changed my life to the better. Does laura paint with you no. Or separately [laughter] nor does she play golf. Her choice. Shes not shes not a painter. Shes a positive critic. She is helping laura has a really good sky loves art, and she has made some very meaningful and positive suggestions, and some not so positive suggestions. But she takes a great interest in the arts with a this exhibit all these paintings will be displayed at the bush Center Starting today, and they have a huge crowd, i heard, and laura went over to milwaukee sure the colors on the walls worked well with the paintings. Taking a big interest in the project, and like my mom, she is my biggest fan. Theyre unbelievably positive. I guess its to encourage me to keep doing it. You opposite said, if you aim for big change, you shouldnt expect to be reward by short term history. Yeah. Do you feel that history has misjumped you or be fair to you. I dont think its jumped me yet properly. Its impossible to judge a president in the short term. I think there needs to be a reach of time. To be able to analyze the decisions a president makes and its consequences over time. And so im i wrote decision points and thank you for pointing it out because i wanted people toed a least have an understanding why i made the decision is made, regardless of whether or not you agreed with them. At least you ought to try to learn why. And i also wrote it and i put in introduction, it would be a data point for future historians. So if theyre genuinely sincere about trying to find out, my place in history, then they ought to read this book. Not as the data point but a data point. And so we have had this library down there, very very much like the Reagan Library here, full of archives. Some stuff has not been declassified yet but will be. And historians will come and research and i think write an objective history there has to be more president s follow me. So, it enables one to see perspective and im not that worried about it. I gave it my all and thats all you can do. [applause] what would people be surprised to learn about you since you left the oval office. That im a painter. When i wrote that book, the first one, i was thrilled to be able to say, you know, a lot of people will be shocked about this book. They didnt thick could read, much less write. And so [laughter] and so i think theyll be surprised at that. Im not sure what else. I think theyre surprised im not out there bloviating all the time about my successor, and its dish should have given you this answer. When president obama was president i used to get a lot of calls from the heartland saying you need to speak out. Now im getting called from the coast saying, you need to speak out. [laughter] this next question is back your paintings. Its human nature to be private about wounds and scars. Hough did you get the subjects of your paintings to open up and reveal an aspect of. Thes that many of us might choose to hide. A great question. Earn their trust. The first thing. And i think i was able to earn their trust several ways. One issue told our troops and their families that as president , i would support them 100 . And i think they saw that. Secondly, when youre Riding Mountain bikes with people, theres a lot of camaraderie, a lot of needling, but as a way to earn somebodys trust, and we set it up so that our vets can speak, and we encourage them to be open. Some more open than others. When youre sitting there as a vet issue suspect and another person give and talked about an invisible wound, itself gives you confidence to speak yourself. Heres what is important to understand. The challenge for society is to get a vet to get rid of the stigma, the best people to do that are vets. Somebody comes out of combat and goes into a Doctors Office and says issue got a problem, and the doctor really doesnt understand how to speak to that person, but if something seek outside brian who dealt with ptsd and says i got these issues, brian can say, i understand what youre saying, man. And the other aspect is what works. So, we have this Wellness Alliance that were raising money for, which makes up these peerbypeer counseling groups, ucla has a fabulous brain center. The coleman centers, the center in new york, nyu and these are places that are have proven theyre able to help vets who want help to begin with, and so thats why were doing what were doing. They talk about it. Some more than others. Turner, im sitting next to turner. Probably made him a little nervous, i suspect, sitting next to former commander in chief. And i said why are you here, turn center and he opens up. Boom. And it was part of his healing process, turns out, and i dont know why turner told me what he told me, but as a result, turner is now he learned himself and is part of the peertopeer counseling network. Talk about these groups that serve veteran, the web site mentioned that 80 of the organizations serving veterans raise less than 100,000 a year. What can we do to help . The first question is do the 80 that raise 100,000 a year do good work . And so, therefore, theres a pretty a web site has this opportunity to take a look at the characteristics one ought to be looking for before they give money to an organization. The he Amazing Things how the response to our vets this time compared to vietnam war is overwhelming. I think theres 35,000 or some ng os set up to help vets the real challenges what works and want doesnt work. Dont want to be in jury at the bush center but we want to highlight program wiz know are effective. Team rubic con rubic con. He takes vets and puts them into where a hurricane has hit or an earthquake has hit and theyre part of the helping the locals recover. And its peertopeer counseling group, all serving somebody else which is part of healing. In the book, there are a number of people who are recovering nicely because theyre now working to help somebody elses life improve. By the way, dont have to be a vet to realize the benefits of serving your fellow man. You mentioned on the site also theres a lot of talk about the one percent, but you point to the one percent being the warriors who defend their remaining 99 of americans. I. I thought you were talking about the one persons financially. Host no. Thats not me. Im on a government pension. [laughter] what can the government 200,000 a year less my medicare premium. [laughter] is there something that the government can be doing better for veterans . The va has got some very good programs. Ive talked to many vets who shay if a been held by the va. Ive also talk to vets who are frustrated by the va. The best way for the va to work is to do joint vent ventures with private Sector Program that are effective. [applause] and the new head of the va and former head of the vaer is very receptive to that idea. And we intend to were gain something credibility in the vet field nor knowing what wore talking about, and they want our input to make sure that help that every vet deserves is seamless as possible. Im told this by the former secretary of the va, this is an interesting fact. That part of the reason why the pts i dropped the d. Its not a disorder. Its an injury. Who wanted to be labeled is a somebody with a disorder. Going to hire somebody with a disorder . More likely to hire somebody that has an injury. And what was the brilliant point i was going to make . What the government can do. No question that the pipeline is getting clogged from pst. Notice i dropped the d. Thats right. And 70. And it turns out vietnam vets are beginning to show symptoms of pts now. After all these years. So theyve been in combat, they come home, and they are raising their families and got a job, and they retire, and theyre going, something is wrong. And they check into the va. Because theyre spenting symptoms of pts and you have vietnam vets, a lot of them, beginning to head into the va. So the va has to deal with is. Why the joint ventures are really important so that the as many people can get help as quickly as possible without frustrating our vets. The problem with frustrating a vet that just came out of combat. Doesnt get help immediately, theres a threat of selfmedication and theres a lot of that. The challenge is to prevent thats from happening as best as we can. By the way issue used to self medicate. I quit drinking in 86. [applause] who will the sum of your next portrait and why . Actually, an interesting question. Me. I looked at a lot of paintings of past master and they paint themselves a lot. I guess kind of an arrogant lot. And one reason why, if you foul it up, doesnt upset anybody. So one of my instructors paints a giant portrait, who assaulted i paint vets. A fabulous painter. And theyre big faces. Happens to be an africanamerican and has painted the faces nobody knows. He knows them because theyre relatives, people he grew up with and theyre great paintings. So he said you ought to paint a huge portrait, six foot big, and so its me. And my face on six foot canvas, thats a lot of face. And so im working on that. Takes a long time. So, helping me through this, and it turns out each part of your face becomes almost like a portrait unto itself. You can spend, like, four or five days on an ear because its so big, until you get it right. And so im doing that right now. Its a fascinating experience, and then i painted freddy. Freddy laura and i go to the spca in dallas, and we want to see a great friend of our donated to this and i wanted to see it. And we get in there and there was a dog foster mother, holding this little tiny puppy, and of course they have to tell us the story, that this dog had been abandoned in a construction site along with brothers and sisters. The others had been adopted and they had to hold freddy back name was freddy because he wasnt eating very well, and so lawyer ray picked laura picked up the dog it and was over. And so my aide is named freddy ford, and he happened to be in the line of sight. And i said, okay, the dog is now named freddy. I dont know if he thought it was an honor or not. I painted him. Guy is awesome. I dont know if you have ever done this with your dog but we did a dna to find out, you know, how unpure freddy is. [laughter] so he has one whole line that says mixed breed, and he has another one that says, chow, bee john, Stafford Shire terrier which is a pitbull and border koleey. An awesome little guy buy the way. Ever thought about being an art instructor . No. Still an art pupil. Every brush stroke is a learning experience and thats why its important to have people around who understand that and are willing to help you kind of reach out, continue to press, and i used to paint real tight. If you threequarter World Leaders, theres not much expression in it. Looks like tony blair or putin or Angela Merkel but there was no confidence, and not a lot of paint on it, and some of these warrior paintings have a lot of paint on them and big brush strokes and just an evolving style. My instructor helped the gain the confidence to paint that way. Anyway. This one is anonymous. It says, would you be available to do a portrait of our family for their Christmas Card . No,. Likes like no, i wouldnt. Heres the problem. Peel say will you paint something for charity. You paint one thing for charity, you spend the rest of your life painting for charity so im not going to do that, thanks. Nor will i ever sell one. These are this collection here of 9 98 paintings, giving t to the Bush FoundationEndowment Fund and it may be worth something 30 years from now if they start round of money, then they can sell it. I did make a g clay, which bryan is i dont know if you have it yet or not. Made a g clay which is a fancy wore for a copy of a painting. I promised to only make one copy per portrait and ill end it to each vet. Send it to each vet. [applause] a couple questions about portrait specifically and this one says, it says artists who have to do protraits have to be the toughest of you can mispaint a landscape or still life and who is is going to complain. If you try to capture the image of another human on cap vase you better get it right. Any of your subjects complain . Well, laura. I actually painted jennas baby once and she complained. I thought it was nice. She didnt like it. Then i painted another one and didnt like it. So i finally painted something that looked like the gerber baby. This question is about specifics portraiture. Says portraiture is considered the most complex form of art, requiring not just artistic skill but insight into a subjects character. That usually means a special rapport needs to develop when the artist and the subject. Did that occur with you and do you remain in contact with the subjects of your paintings . I do. Thats a great question. I think in order to make a portrait work you have to have feeling about a a feeling about what youre painting. Is a mentioned earlier i paint with Great Respect for each person. I stay in touch with then. Brian has been rode the ranch, came week in ranch to ride again. We have got what we call club 43 which are people who have been to our events and we expand it every year, and we hope the alumni come back. They form bonds among themselves. Its a network of vets, for example. I saw melissa i saw four vets on the today show the other day, and i went to mcdill and saw five 0, saw two today at ellen and i stay in touch. Some write in some send pictures in, and theyre my friends. Thats great. You talked about the art, the paintings. What inspired you to nick the book out of the paintings . Thats a good question. I guess its a little risky to put your paintings out there. I mean, somebody may not like them. You know what . Some people didnt like some of my decisions so im kind of used to it. I wanted to raise money for the foundation. And i wanted to tell these stories. I think when you read them, youll be moved. Because theyre stories of courage, injury, recovery, willingness to help others, and i also wanted to highlight the invisible wounds. Thats my biggest concern. The prosthetics are great. Im Riding Mountain bike width people would lost a leg, some of whom have been back in cop bat combat on one leg. The first portrait in there they lose their legs and have been in combat twice. The prosthetics are great. Its the invisible wounds that concern me, and so this book is a way to highlight that, and hopefully it will inspire people to help, people to vets to come forward and talk about it. Caregivers to rethink the care theyre giving if its not working. Its really to call its to call people to a very important cause, and ive got a platform still, not quite as big as the old one but i intend to use it to help our vets for the rest of my life and this is one way to do so. [applause] mr. President , we have just about run out of time but like to thank you for doing this book. I was fortunate enough to get an advanced company and its inspirational to read thissing into and what a great gift to govern to people in the military, mill fare families and i just urge everybody to pick up a copy, amazon, or go to bush center. Org. Or washington post. Thats an inside joke. And dog a fine job, by the way. Thank you, mr. President. [applause] , in. The opportunity to have the deluxe book, which is signed by the president , and the painter and the author is just a wonderful thing, and i would say, encourage people to get that if you can. Thank you for joining us. Thank you all for coming. [applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, for those of you that are joining fours dinner, we ask you hold for just a few moments and let our distinguished guest depart and then youll be going out that door. Those of you who are upstairs and ongoing us for dinner that, a door in the same corner you can go out. If you are not joining us for dinner, you are welcome to depart this direction right now. And good find your car it but give us a moment. We hope you are all joining us tomorrow night for at the evening with gary lynnfoot. Should be a fascinating event. Thank you all for coming. [inaudible conversations] washington journal, live every day with us . Policy issues that impact you. Coming up saturday morning, Wilson Centers abraham denmark discusses rising tenths with north korea after tweet exchanges between President Trump and north korean leader. And nicki wently talked be in potential changes to veteran benefits in 2018. Then david reubenstein discuss his book, the day the presses stopped, the history of the pentagon papers case. Be sure to watch washington downlive at 7 00 eastern saturday morning. Join the discussion. For nearly 20 years, in depth on booktv featured the nation lazy best known nonfiction writers to for live conversation about their work this, year, were featuring best selling fiction writers for the monthly program. Join us on sunday at noon eastern with david ignatius, the author of several National Security thrill including agents of innocence, body of lies, blood money, and his most recent, the quantum spy. The special series, with awe theyre david ignatius, sunday, live from noon to 3 00 p. M. Eastern on booktv, on cspan2. Andrew carroll is founder of the legacy project, an effort to preserve soldiers war correspondence and talked about world war one as described by general john pershing, commander of the u. S. Forces. This is an hour. [inaudible discussion]