Jenna Bush Hager shares portraits dad George W. Bush painted of son Hal
While it might be hard for former president George W. Bush to spend time with his grandkids due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are clearly never far from his mind!
TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager shared two portraits the former president had painted of her 1-year-old son, Hal.
"My favorite Christmas gift. My Hal painted by his Jefe," she wrote on Instagram. "@georgewbush Love how you see our precious boy. These bring me joy."
The paintings show her little boy with long hair. In one, he's smiling while in the second, Hal looks more serious.
"Such great colors and expressive brush strokes! You can see the joy and love in his marks," one fan replied on her post.
"Who knew your dad was an artist! What a special gift!" another wrote.
Hal turned 1 in August. Jenna said at the time that in his short life, he hasn't gotten to spend much time with his grandparents due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Jenna shared a sweet photo of her parents with Hal and her two daughters, Mila, 7, and Poppy, 5, in late July.
"It was great. We got COVID tests to go and see them," Jenna said. "There they are holding their grandkids, and they'd only seen Hal maybe once."
Bush, who signs his paintings "43," has been famously painting for years. At the end of his presidency, he decided to start after reading the 1948 book "Painting as a Pastime" by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
In 2017, he released a book titled "Portraits of Courage," which featured portraits he'd painted of veterans and their inspiring stories of the trials they'd faced. Bush has another book due out in March of this year with a similar concept.
"Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants," will feature 43 paintings of immigrants and their stories. The paintings will also be on exhibit through Jan. 3, 2022 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in University Park, Texas. Bush has said he will donate a portion of his “Out Of Many, One” proceeds to organizations that help immigrants resettle.