Midwest Living Feature

I had the privilege of getting to chat with Debbie Lekron Miller of Midwest Living for the Spring 2023 issue, focusing on exploring the Hidden Wonders of National and State Parks in the Midwest. Here's our conversation!

This Minnesota Artist Sculpts the Great Outdoors in Intimate, Impressionistic Jewelry Landscapes

Grace Vanderbush's polymer clay national park necklaces are a little like vintage cameos—tiny, textural portraits of our country's most precious natural places.

Grace has designed 63 national park necklaces. With each sale, she and her husband, Jordan, make a contribution to the National Park Foundation.

As a child, did you always have an artistic streak?

Even in my baby videos, I was painting! I always had a backpack filled with art supplies. When I was 10, I made clay magnets and started Grace's Gracious Gifts. I set up a store in my bedroom and ushered my family in to see what they wanted to buy.

COURTESY OF EARTH CLAY

And now you run a business called Earth Clay. What do you love about this medium?

I've always been drawn to the feel, depth and texture of clay, but one of the most fulfilling things for me is that I hadn't seen anything like this when I started using this sculpting technique. My first necklace was sort of a happy accident. Now I feel that it is such a fun and effective way to show my appreciation for the beauty around me.

Why national parks, specifically?

Growing up, I loved the outdoors and nature, but we didn't have many opportunities to travel. So when Jordan and I married five years ago, our big focus was visiting national parks. They're a huge part of my artistic inspiration. We wanted a way to give back to these places we love so much, so I started sculpting my national park necklaces, with 10 percent of the profits going to the National Park Foundation.

They're so small! How do you convey a park on a pendant the size of a nickel?

I love working on a tiny canvas, but people can't believe it's a handmade sculpture because it's so little. When I hike the parks, I pay special attention to details like rocks, bugs and plants. Other visitors are looking at the iconic landmarks, but I'm getting ideas for my color palette. I mix the clay to get those colors, then use my fingers to build the base in a brass pendant. Then I sculpt the clay using tiny tools into layers of mountains, trees, grass, rivers, flowers and wildlife, one step at a time. Once they're baked, they're ready to go.

What else do you sculpt?

I have a classic collection of necklaces with sunflowers, which are really popular, and also floral bouquets, little bison and deer. On a larger scale, I create what I call clayscapes—nature scenes with so much detail, depth and texture that it almost feels like you're in the scene yourself.

What about your work brings you joy?

People's walls are filled with art, but wearable art is an expression that you can take with you everywhere. It's so rewarding to see people wearing my necklaces on their adventures or to hear stories of how it reminds them of a special moment in their life. Knowing that it inspires them to go to new places, get outside and appreciate nature makes the whole process very fulfilling for me as an artist. It's all full-circle fun!

Full article from Midwest Living: https://www.midwestliving.com/lifestyle/earth-clay/

Summer Festivals

Art Festival season is here! We kicked off the first weekend of summer shows at the Edina Art Fair & it was such an amazing feeling being back in the Twin Cities doing what we love. It's fun to meet fellow artists & customers & to share Earth Clay with anyone who stops by our tent. One visitor I was especially excited to meet, Kelli Hanson with Twin Cities Live, stopped by & did a segment on Earth Clay! Kelli & I became friends when she featured Earth Clay during the TCL Minnesota Home Maker Monday series a couple months ago & it was amazing to finally meet her in person! I know after you watch the feature, you're going to want to see all of the Earth Clay magic in person...My event calendar is full & I can't wait to see YOU at an upcoming festival this summer!

Sunflowers for Ukraine

Along with the rest of the world, I have been devastated by the events unfolding in Ukraine. Even though it’s sometimes tempting to ignore our emotions, I think it’s important to pay attention to the things that make us cry. One of my favorite authors, Emily P. Freeman, calls tears “magic water” & I have found that paying attention to them is one way God can teach us what He cares about. The challenging part is that oftentimes we can feel paralyzed by helplessness when we see the amount of suffering in the world, like our small contribution isn’t enough. One quote that has been on my mind is, “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.” This reminder helps me focus on what I can do rather than being overwhelmed by all that I can’t do.

I spent time praying about how I could help & the pieces started to fall into place. I own Earth Clay, a clay sculpture business where my husband, Jordan, & I travel to art festivals across the country & sell my artwork. I meet lots of different people & because of social media I am able to maintain the relationships made with customers we meet at art festivals. I noticed how many of my friends & customers were feeling the same heaviness & sorrow about the war in Ukraine & I wanted to do something that we could all be a part of together. I had thought about making my own donation to one of the various organizations aiding Ukraine, but I knew I could take that money & invest it to create artwork & sell it so that the amount would be multiplied.

One moment that stood out to me was when I looked up the national flower of Ukraine. My jaw dropped when I saw it was the sunflower. Sunflower necklaces are one of my best-selling items. I figured if I made necklaces with Ukraine’s colors: blue & yellow & incorporated a sunflower into the design with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, my existing customers would purchase them. I chose this organization because I appreciate that the help they are offering is practical & immediate. They are focusing on providing food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support & cash assistance to children & families in crisis in Ukraine. They are a well-known organization with extremely high ratings as an accredited, trustworthy charity. I had initially intended to create around fifty necklaces, but after the first day when I explained my plan on an Instagram video, the response was overwhelming!

Unbeknownst to me, one of my friends, McKenzie Kack, sent my video to Kelli Hanson, a reporter at Twin Cities Live, a popular daytime television show focusing on food, fashion, & fun in and around the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. They loved the idea & ended up featuring my Sunflower Necklaces for Ukraine Fundraiser on their show.

After their feature, word spread even more quickly about the project & I knew I had to make more. I decided to dedicate the week to sculpting as many sunflower necklaces as I could while also organizing, planning, & executing the sale of the necklaces on my website. During the week, I kept my Instagram stories updated with the sculpting process & it was the coolest thing to experience the support & camaraderie of everyone which encouraged me each day to keep sculpting. One friend even sent all of the blue clay her local craft store carried to me since I ran out half-way through the week! Social media often gets a bad rap for its polarizing effects, but in the same way people can be united negatively, they can also come together positively & it was amazing to witness. With the support of everyone both on & off the internet, I was able to complete 200 necklaces by the end of the week. The necklaces became available for purchase at 9 AM on Saturday morning & sold out within 15 minutes.

Together, we were able to raise $15,000 for Ukrainian children in crisis in 15 minutes! I still can’t believe it! I am praising God that my website didn’t crash & for everyone’s generosity. I can’t wait to ship the necklaces off to their new owners as a tangible sign of support for Ukraine & a daily reminder to pray for the country each time they wear it.