PAINTER
esidential C uzmik_A;
ube. Backg njoynz.
One of my art instructors,
Sedrick Huckaby, suggested
I paint people that I knew
but others didn’t. I instantly
thought of paintin w n
warriors I had g
know. I wanted
determi
their de rve in new
ways as. So I painted
t
r sacrific
a
the
he
a
ry behind
ur book?
e vete
e boo
t met C
en dinner.
nervous to
is story of
traumatic
anxiety
in
the room. His anguish was
apparent to me, which
affected my first painting
of Chris.
A few weeks after the
dinner, I received a letter
from Chris. He told me that
speaking at the event was a
“daunting task,” but that it
gave him a sense of relief
once he was finished. After
reading his letter and learning
how well he was doing, I
decided to repaint him. His
second portrait is the same
face, same person, but
with a new outlook and
bright future.
hat is your painting
ocess like?
I didn’t start painting until
I was in my 60s. I read a book
by Winston Churchill [the
itish prime minister during
orld War II] called Painting
a Pastime, and I thought
eresting
from photos.^
good b nd and good
hting important.^
ve chosen
subjects:^
r ranch
as; worl
know
dent; a
t ourse. Ialso
painting
lle me
ike
ey
n’t
PRESIDENT BUSH’S
ADVICE TO KIDS
When I was growing up, I
dreamed of things like winning
the Little League World Series.
When I was 10, my uncle took me
to a New York Giants game to see
my hero, Willie Mays, play the
outfield. Fifty years later, Willie
Mays came to the White House as
the honorary commissioner for a
youth tee-ball game on the
South Lawn. I told everyone, “I
wanted to be the Willie Mays of
my generation, but I couldn’t hit
a curveball. So, instead, I ended
up being President.”
Always be open to learning
new things, even if you don’t
think you’ll ever use the
information. In college, I took a
class about American oratory.
We read famous speeches, and I
was struck by the power of words
to shape history. If you would
have asked me at the time what
the most valuable thing I learned
in that class was, I probably
would not have said how to
structure a speech. But I’ve
remembered the model [for a
good speech] all my life. And as it
turns out, my life has included
quite a few speeches.
Sergeant First Class Michael R. Rodrig
