Soon after leaving the White House, we acquired half interest in about twenty-five acres on the south side of a creek in North Georgia, and we built a log cabin on the property. Although the stream is relatively sterile because it flows over granite, we found by electroshocking the pools (a safe method that allows trout to be examined and released) that our water contained more than one hundred native rainbow trout. The waterfall, just a few yards east of our cabin, is a favorite place for swimming, fishing and picnicking on the rocks. This was one of my earliest outdoor scenes, which I painted with my easel set up near the cabin.
-- Jimmy Carter (2018, p. 3)

Jimmy Carter first discovered art in grade school like many American children. His interest deepened during his years in the Navy, where he and fellow sailors took up painting and studied the work of renowned artists. He continued to pursue art throughout his time as governor and later as president, finding moments to nurture his education. Carter's first experience selling his own work happened while on a cruise ship, where he and Rosalynn took a landscape painting class. On the final night at sea, their paintings were auctioned for charity, an exciting moment that rekindled Carter’s passion for painting. After returning to Georgia, Carter continued to paint from life and experience: "I enjoy painting scenes around my hometown or places that we encounter on our trips…Almost all my paintings represent subjects that have been personally meaningful to me” (p. viii).