Janet Downie resided in Austin and San Antonio, Texas and was known as a painter in watercolor and oil whose specialty was Texas landscapes, often with bluebonnets. Among other landscape subjects were Rocky Mountain views, the Garden of the Gods, and adobes and natives of New Mexico. She was also a teacher and writer and between 1906 and 1916, was supervisor of art in the Austin Public Schools. From her home studio, called the Bluebonnet Studio, she gave lessons in painting, ceramics, and drawing.

Janet Downie was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. In 1878, Downie moved to Austin, Texas with her widowed mother. She received art training in London at the Government School and in Liverpool at the South Kensington Institute. Downie c...