CELEBRATING THE ARTS Artist Edward Hopper once said, "If you could say it in words, there would be no need to paint." The first time Bitsy Pratt understood art as a way to express ideas and narratives, she was standing in front of the Mexican muralists in Mexico City.

That early exposure 40-plus years ago opened her eyes to other artists, among them Fernando Botero, John Singer Sargent and, recently, Trevor Chamberlain, Andy Evansen, Mary Whyte and Gary Tucker, most of whom are watercolorists.

Pratt's study with some of these artists helped her develop her visual voice Pratt has been selected by the Boerne Art League as its "Artist of the Month" for September.