Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Yaghmourian.
Hi Denise, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in New York, but my family moved to Arizona when I was a child, so I really consider Arizona home. Growing up here had a huge influence on the way I see the world. I was always drawn to nature, exploring, collecting things, and making things with my hands. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents. My Armenian grandmother, who was a seamstress had an important influence on my early relationship with sewing and textiles.
I went on to study art at Arizona State University and earned my BFA. Over time, I found my way into fiber and mixed-media work, and I became especially interested in repetition, pattern, process, and the transformation of ordinary materials. My work has evolved considerably over the years, but those ideas have remained at the center of it.
Today, I work primarily as a fiber and mixed-media artist in Phoenix. I create sculptures and installations using textiles, thread, wire, found objects, and vintage materials, most recently exploring buttons as a sculptural material. I’m interested in how something familiar can be transformed through repetition and accumulation into something unexpected. At this point in my career, I feel like I’m continuing to explore that same sense of discovery that has always been part of who I am, but on a much larger and more immersive scale.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After studying art at Arizona State University and earning my BFA, there was still a long period of figuring things out. What kind of artist did I wanted to be? What materials felt most authentic? How to build a sustainable practice?
One of the biggest challenges has been working in fiber and mixed media, which hasn’t always been taken as seriously as other fine art mediums. Early on, I often felt pressure to justify my materials or process rather than simply let the work speak for itself. Learning to trust my instincts and commit to my own language took time.
There have also been very practical challenges such as balancing studio time with financial realities, navigating inconsistent opportunities, and sustaining a long-term practice while still taking creative risks. My work is very process-driven and often labor intensive, so there’s also a physical and emotional demand that comes with that repetition.
At the same time, those challenges have shaped the work in important ways. They’ve pushed me to be more resourceful, more patient, and more intentional. Looking back, the obstacles haven’t been separate from the work. They’ve become part of what continues to inform it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a fiber and mixed-media artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. My work centers on transformation through repetition, accumulation, and process. I primarily use textiles, thread, wire, found objects, and vintage materials, and more recently I’ve been exploring buttons as a sculptural medium. I’m interested in how everyday, often overlooked materials can be reimagined into immersive, tactile forms.
My practice is process-driven and intuitive. I build forms slowly through repetitive handwork, allowing the materials to guide the direction of each piece. I’m drawn to the tension between fragility and structure, as well as familiarity and abstraction. While my materials are often humble or domestic in origin, I’m interested in how scale, repetition, and accumulation can shift their meaning and presence.
I’m best known for transforming familiar materials into sculptural, often architectural works. My pieces often feel both delicate and dense, and that contrast is central to my practice. There is also a strong sense of labor and time embedded in the work, which becomes part of its visual language.
What I’m most proud of is staying committed to my own material language, even when it wasn’t always the most conventional path in contemporary art. Early in my career, I often felt pressure to justify working in fiber and mixed media, but over time I’ve learned to trust the work itself and let it speak on its own terms.
Overall, my practice exists between sculpture, craft, and installation, grounded in repetition and process. At its core, my work is about transformation of materials, perception, and the time it takes to build something by hand.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t really think much about luck in general. I tend to just do what I do and keep working. More than anything, it has taken a steady commitment to the work and a willingness to keep going, even when the path wasn’t always clear or conventional.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://deniseyaghmourian.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/denise.yaghmourian
- LinkedIn: Denise Yaghmourian
- Youtube: @DeniseYaghmourian
