Abstract artist · Watercolor & acrylic
Chasing color
and light.
Organic shapes in deep blue, leaf green, and a flash of orange — paintings that grow like gardens and glow like tide pools.
The acrylics
Where watercolor drifts, acrylic pushes. The first works in texture — a deep indigo band cut by a feathery sweep of white, crackled lavender and magenta worked over the top. The next two are built from big, loaded-brush shapes — one all ember and gold, with a single flash of sky blue to cool it down; the other earthier, olive green and rust red sweeping over pink, navy, and cream. The last two stay with texture: layer on layer of magenta and plum, scumbled and scraped until a small pale moon surfaces — and a deep-sea counterpart in teal and navy, where coral breaks through the surface like light on water. Tap any piece to see it up close.
Up close
Every shape is built in layers — washes of saturated color, then dots, dashes, and fine linework laid over the top until the surface hums. Nothing is planned too tightly; the forms suggest seed pods, leaves, and underwater things, and I follow where they lead.
Watercolor does half the work if you let it: pigments pool, bloom, and granulate in ways no brush can replicate. Acrylic comes in when a passage needs to sit up and insist.
About Janice
“Abstract artist — chasing color and light.”
I'm Janice Abarbanel, and I paint abstracts in watercolor and acrylic. My work is drawn to the organic and the biomorphic — rounded, growing forms that feel half-remembered from gardens, tide pools, and the underside of leaves.
I work in saturated color: deep blues, leaf greens, and always a little orange mischief. Each piece is an experiment in how far color can go before it starts to glow.
New work appears first on Instagram, where I share finished pieces and works in progress.
Kelp & Ember Club
A small piece of Florida’s tropical beauty, painted by hand and mailed monthly.
Hand painted abstract prints from my Florida kitchen — one limited-edition piece, the first of every month, signed and numbered, in your mailbox by the 8th.
I am surrounded daily by tropical beauty. I notice the sky changing over the ponds, sunsets that stop me with their striking colors, birds flying overhead or standing silently at the water’s edge as if in full pose. I notice the gorgeous flowers, their textures, shapes and colors, and the quiet water life in the ponds and oceans beyond. All of it becomes a small saturated abstract painting — 5 x 7 inches, in watercolor or acrylic. Then I sign it, number it, and send it to a small group of people who want a piece of colorful beauty to give as a gift for friends or to hang in their home each month.
What arrives every month
- ●One signed, numbered 5 x 7 print on 100% cotton watercolor paper each month.
- ●A handwritten thank-you note from me, every single month.
- ●First access to studio sales and originals.
I’m Janice. I grew up in Connecticut, moved to Massachusetts in 1984, and studied art at RISD from 1989 to 1993 before starting my family. In 2022, my husband and I moved to Southwest Florida — and with all this tropical beauty around me, I found my way back to painting.
Our home here is smaller, so there’s no studio; I work at my kitchen island or on my easel. People started asking for my work, so I created jabarbanelart.com and this print club — my way of sharing it, one small painting at a time.
My favorite creature is the nudibranch — a tiny sea slug dressed in brilliant colors. Now you know where my colors come from.
Things you may be wondering
- When will it ship?
- It goes out on the first of every month, in your mailbox by the 8th.
- Can I cancel anytime?
- Yes — anytime. No commitment, no questions asked; your membership simply ends.
- Is it just one print?
- One print every month, limited edition.
- What if I’m traveling when the mail arrives?
- It will be waiting for you — each print arrives in a flat, protective mailer that fits in your mailbox and keeps it safe until you’re home. If you prefer, I can delay shipping. Write me by the first of the month and I can hold your print.
- How are the prints packaged?
- Each print is sealed in a clear protective sleeve with a sturdy backing board, then sent flat in a Kraft A7 envelope. The backing board keeps it flat so it arrives crisp and ready to frame.
Follow along
New paintings, works in progress, and the occasional happy accident — posted as they happen. For questions about a piece, a DM on Instagram is the fastest way to reach me.
Follow @j.abarbanel.art