Exploring Life & Business with Heather Edens of Edens Mosaics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Edens.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a scientist by training and I now work in medical communications, but I’ve always had a love for creating things with my hands. When I’m not working to communicate clinical trial data, you’ll usually find me outside — hiking, backpacking, or trail running. The outdoors has always been my reset button.

My stained glass mosaics journey started unexpectedly. One of my kids came home from camp with a mosaic they’d made, and I remember thinking, Wow, that is so cool, I want to try that. So I obtained some stained glass, watched a handful of YouTube videos, and started experimenting. I was hooked almost instantly.

Before long, I found myself blending my love of nature, especially our national parks, with mosaics. I shared a few pieces on social media, and to my surprise, friends, family, and even complete strangers wanted to buy them or commission scenes from places they’d visited. That encouragement pushed me to explore stained glass more broadly, though I always return to mosaics. They feel freer to me. The pieces don’t need to fit perfectly; sometimes the glass refuses to cut the way I expect, and I just let it guide me. I like starting with a simple sketch and then filling in the white space with the glass. Playing with color to create sunrises and sunsets is one of my favorite parts of the process.

My cousin once called me the Bob Ross of mosaics, and honestly, I think that might be the best compliment I’ve ever received.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have to admit, I’m pretty lucky. My husband is wonderfully encouraging, a fellow scientist, though we met in the UW–Madison Hoofers Outdoor Club, where he once pushed me off a rock wall and later guided me down some wild rivers in a kayak. He’s also a talented woodworker who frames all my mosaics in gorgeous, reclaimed wood.

If there’s one thing I struggle with, it’s time. My head is constantly thinking of the next mosaic, but with a full‑time day job, most of my mosaic work happens late at night or on weekends.

We just got back from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and of course my brain immediately jumped to making a mosaic of it, just like the Grand Teton piece I created after climbing The Grand. I’m itching to bring Kilimanjaro to life in glass, but I haven’t carved out the time yet. It’s waiting patiently in the queue.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I specialize in recreating outdoor places people have visited, usually natural spaces like Yellowstone or the Grand Teton. Every now and then I branch out, like the castle overlooking Loch Ness, which was an absolute blast to make. I’ve also started creating custom house‑number plaques for doors and entryways. They’re a fun change of pace and add a little extra curb appeal.

I often get requests for pet mosaics, too. I’ve done several dogs, and I have a soft spot for bulldogs, their wonderfully wrinkly faces translate beautifully into mosaic form.

What I’m most proud of, though, is capturing the essence of a place someone has been. Not just the look of it, the way a photograph or painting might, but the spirit, the feeling they had when they were standing there. That’s the magic I try to bring out in glass.

What makes you happy?
I love meeting fellow artists. When I took stained‑glass classes at the Spruill Art Center, I met so many wonderfully creative people. Everyone was genuinely encouraging, and it felt amazing to be surrounded by that kind of positive energy.

I also love the idea of making something you can actually hold, hang on a wall, or place on a shelf. It’s a real, tangible object, not digital, not virtual. There’s something deeply satisfying about creating art that exists in the world in such a physical, lasting way.

Pricing:

• My prices range widely depending on the size, type of glass and time. I would just say, let’s talk!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.edensmosaics.com