Wash Your Hands by Jessica Hische
7"x5" Letterpress ($25)
Collect this edition
Say hello to this suds muffin. Readers who peeped our Tuesday newsletter might have seen us hinting at something special on the sched for Global Handwashing Day. That’s today, 10/15! And that something special has arrived: Jessica Hische’s limited-edition letterpress—a custom, three-color high five to handwashing. Wash Your Hands, Soapy Bubbles is the Bay Area-based lettering artist’s 20x200 debut, and it’s hands down (heh) the coolest cue to keep those paws pristine. Our whole team’s already earmarked one. Can’t keep us away from art this colorful, clever, gorgeous, and super giftable. Plus, it's only $25 a pop. Lather, rinse, and treat! There’s just 500 of these 5”x7” prints in existence, so snag yourself a small stack stat.
Wash Your Hands, Soapy Bubbles is more than an artful reminder to clean up your act. Hische’s aim was to create artwork that “felt like beautiful soap bubbles,” and boy did she succeed. Loose, puffy bubble lettering floats at center amid errant spheres. Though the letters spell out “wash your hands,” it’s all one suspended, sudsy collective in the company of those spheres. Where separately encircled letter strokes or the odd round shape overlap, the colors merge, creating a kind of transparency that mimics a real life blob of bubbles. Those overlapping colors also create the rainbow effect that transforms three hues (cyan, yellow, magenta) into a wider spectrum. Ever since she was a kid, Hische has gotten a kick out of the prismatic quality of soap bubbles in the sunlight. Letterpress allows for that awesome layering. Just one of the reasons this artist's a longtime letterpress lover. Another reason? The medium's ability to translate her art onto paper in a terrifically tactile way. These aren’t your average two-dimensional letters, but carefully considered forms with texture, depth, and tons of personality.
Hische has worked with clients like The New York Times, the almighty United States Postal Service, and Penguin Books, her art’s been featured all over the place, she’s authored three books, and she’s landed on some of the most lauded lists in town (Forbes 30 under 30 in Art and Design, Adweek’s Creative 100, etc.). She recently launched #riseupshowupunite, an artist-driven project to generate visible support for the Biden-Harris campaign, with a long list of talented contributors like 20x200 Lisa Congdon. It’s all about enthusiastically sharing your support on a public platform.
Wash Your Hands, Soapy Bubbles also makes a statement that’s meant to be shared proudly and peppily. It’s joy-inducing and inviting, not naggy, somber or self-serious. Handwashing made a little more magical. Spread awareness, not germs! Let’s call it a wash—in the best way.
With art for everyone,
Team 20x200
