Hola! Soy Milena Vásquez

I’m an Artist, Designer, Mother of two and Head of Shenanigans.

A free spirit at heart, I’m always chasing deer, hunting for orchids, and finding inspiration, belonging, and healing in nature.

My art explores the sacred connection between artist and nature.

Vamos! I’ll take you on a magical adventure; let’s find orchids together.

Fundraising for an amazing young artist at the moment.

My art is a reflection of my deepest, most authentic self.

It is inspired by memories of my childhood. I strive to bring beauty and positivity into the world. I hope you find something that brings you joy and makes you feel a bit emotional.

Artwork Gallery

As an artist, I specialize in creating captivating works of art through the mediums of photography, cyanotype, and mixed media. Each of these methods involves the manipulation of light and color in distinct ways to produce stunning images that allow for endless possibilities of creative expression.

Cyanotypes

Inspired by Anna Atkins and my botanist father, I create Blueprints using pressed flowers, old photographs, and botanical drawings. This process merges family history, heritage and nature.

Botanical Art

Inspired by flowers and plants, this series captures poetic, in-camera images. Using soft light and movement, leaves and petals blend into abstract compositions, creating an impressionistic effect.

Photography

From landscapes to wildflowers, my photographs are an ode to nature and love letters to my family, blending personal memories with the beauty of the natural world.

Liminal Woodlands

Walking in the woods, I found myself in a liminal world, crossing portals and paths, unveiling landscapes, finding treasures, being in the in-between and getting deep into my soul. It has been a time of grief, remembering, transitioning, feeling all the feelings (all at once) and finding peace.

  • LIMINAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    The Opening

  • Parada

  • Passerinum

  • Image of Fish Creek in the winter

    Forest Glide

  • Pastores

  • Serena

  • LIMINAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    Abuelo Manuel

  • LIMINAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    Griffith Woods

  • Paz

  • Gracia

  • Reflections

  • Arboleda

  • Image of a winter scene in Fish Creek Park

    Cold matina

  • Estepario

  • Image of a fall scence in Fish Creek

    Ventea

  • Image of palm trees in the amazone

    Tucanes

  • winter scence Fish Creek

    Meditations

A bit more about me

I live, work and play in Mohkinstsis, Calgary, Alberta. I'm originally from Bolivia, where I grew up hiking the rainforests of El Chapare, near my city Cochabamba, looking for orchids and rare plants, learning from my botanist father. I live a creative life, being a mom, exploring nature, making art and creating community.

Art can transform a space and evoke emotions that touch our hearts and minds.

Feel at home, breath, and take it all in! Scroll down as if walking on an expedition to an undiscovered valley. I invite you to observe the gentle light, the stubborn contrasts, and the illusive perspectives. Find your peace!

Cyanotype Workshops

Discover the magic of cyanotype and reveal your creative potential!

Cyanotype initiation workshops are a privileged moment to discover the magic of an ancient photographic process while sharing a moment of connection to some precious elements, plants and wildflowers, the sun to burn and print your creations, the water that cleans the residues, and the air that magically reveals the bluest of blues.

If you come across my watch, please bring it back to me please. I left it on a rock along the shore of the Rio Cotacajes, on the border between La Paz and Cochabamba. We stopped for lunch, swarmed by horseflies, and were greeted by kids from the jungle as we reached the river's edge. It was an unusual sight for them—a yellow inflatable boat with people in red helmets rowing with fancy oars. We were in the middle of nowhere, with no roads nearby, only walking paths, river travel on makeshift boats, or by burro. This is how my dad travelled in the '80s in the same area. He strongly advised against this trip with my newlywed gringo husband. I showed him my wedding ring and said, "This is our honeymoon, Papa. I'm going!" Knowing that river, he feared something terrible might happen; he had walked it for days on a donkey, carrying his photography and research gear. My dad spent weeks exploring the Cotacajes River searching for the rarest and wildests orchids.

If you come across my watch, please bring it back to me please. I left it on a rock along the shore of the Rio Cotacajes, on the border between La Paz and Cochabamba. We stopped for lunch, swarmed by horseflies, and were greeted by kids from the jungle as we reached the river's edge. It was an unusual sight for them—a yellow inflatable boat with people in red helmets rowing with fancy oars. We were in the middle of nowhere, with no roads nearby, only walking paths, river travel on makeshift boats, or by burro. This is how my dad travelled in the '80s in the same area. He strongly advised against this trip with my newlywed gringo husband. I showed him my wedding ring and said, "This is our honeymoon, Papa. I'm going!" Knowing that river, he feared something terrible might happen; he had walked it for days on a donkey, carrying his photography and research gear. My dad spent weeks exploring the Cotacajes River searching for the rarest and wildests orchids.

In the spirit of truth and reconciliation I acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.