Former President George W. Bush's new book will merge two of his most famous post-presidency endeavors: painting and veterans.

The book will feature veterans' portraits painted by Bush. The 43rd president announced the book’s release Wednesday in Colorado at a summit of veterans and their families.

Scheduled for a Feb. 28 release, the book, Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors, will feature 66 portraits and a four-panel mural.

“Portraits of Courage is more than an art book. This is a book about the men and women who have been tremendous national assets in the Armed Forces — and who continue to be vital to the future success of our country,” Bush said in the book’s introduction, according to a news release from the Crown Publishing Group.

“The greatest honor of the presidency was looking them in the eye and saluting them as their commander in chief. And I intend to support and salute them for the rest of my life.”

The veterans featured in the book include members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. They have all gotten to know Bush since he left office, the news release said.

Bush also wrote stories about the veterans to accompany the portraits. He will read them in the audio book version. The book includes forewords by former first lady Laura Bush and Gen. Peter Pace, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The book will be released in two editions: a jacketed hardcover edition for $35 and a $250 "deluxe edition" that will be cloth-bound with a special slipcover and signed by the former president. Bush will donate all net proceeds from the book to the Bush Center and its Military Service initiative.

Bush’s original paintings of the veterans will also be on display as part of a special exhibit at the Bush Center's museum. It will open to the public from March 2 through October 2017.

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Helping veterans

The former president has made veterans' well-being and their re-entry into society one of the priorities of the George W. Bush Institute, which is a part of the Bush Center. The institute also hosts two events for veterans — the Warrior Open golf tournament and the W100K mountain bike ride— to focus on the role sports play in veterans' recovery.

Bush has said the bike ride serves as a reminder of the extraordinary resilience displayed by the country's more than 2.5 million post-9/11 veterans.

Seventeen wounded veterans joined former President George W. Bush at his Central Texas ranch for the fifth annual Warrior 100K, which is part of the George W. Bush Institute's military service initiative, is a three-day bike ride to honor service members injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. 05022015xMETRO (Grant Miller / The Bush Center)

He chose the Fort Carson Military Community Transition Summit to make his book announcement. The two-day retreat is hosted by the USO and the Bush Institute.

The summit focuses on efforts to help military service members and their families transition back into civilian life. The Bush Institute hosted a similar summit last year.

Bush has also displayed his artistic chops before. In 2014, the Bush Center museum featured a special exhibit that explored the Bush administration's foreign policy through the president's paintings.

Former President George W. Bush tours his new exhibit, "The Art of Leadership: A President's Personal Diplomacy" at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas in 2014. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Mona Reeder) (AP)

Those portraits included leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Dalai Lama, Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former president, who signs his work "43," took up painting in 2012 after reading Painting as a Pastime by Winston Churchill, another politician-turned-painter.

In 2013, Bush told The Dallas Morning News that he likes how painting allows him to create and to express himself "in a way that's unique." At the time, he said that with his new hobby, he takes "great delight in busting stereotypes."

“People are surprised,” he said in 2013. “Of course, some people are surprised I can even read.”

For more information on the book or special exhibit visit: georgewbush.com and bushcenter.org.