Ana Malasllani Portfolio vs 1

ANA MALASLLANI ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

statement

MODULAR EARTH 2024

MODULAR EARTH

This piece was inspired by maps, specifically the inaccuracy of maps. All maps serve a purpose and are distorted to fullfill this purpose. For example, the Mercator map which is the most commonly used is meant as an accurate compass for sea travel. My representation of a map design is distorted in its own way. It is a depiction of my home country of Albania. Albania is a Mediterranean country so it carries the traits of vast mountains, valleys, and of course the Mediterranean Sea. To represent this, I cut out small circles out of a map plastered on cardstock in order to cut a slit and curve them into various cone shapes. I then stuck them into a board using small pins at various heights. The final result imitates the landscapes, the tall mountains and hills, and the sea, the ripples of the ocean waves, each with their own quirks and imperfections.

“Life Study for a bathing soldier in the lost cartoon for the Battle of Cascina”

master study 2023

This piece is a Michelangelo master study done as part of an art class assignment. It is done in black and white conte on tan paper. I chose this specific sketch not only as a learning opportunity to gain anatomy drawing skills, but also as a challenge and chance to experiment with a loose style as most of my work is very controlled and refined.

parisian Rooftop 2023

This piece is quite interesting because it is a print created by dry point etching. The blurrier piece is the plexiglass I etched to create the clearer print beside it. The subject is of a Parisian rooftop I thought would look interesting as a sort of sketch using the etching. I wanted the overall piece to look like a highly detailed ink sketch so I found this image of a rooftop would satisfy my goals. The reference image has tons of detail and interesting rounded shapes which I was drawn too.

One of many 2022

This piece is an art class assignment. The goal was to show the change of an abstract shape through the five frames. The first frame shows the zoomed in image of these green crystals, as the frames continue on, the viewpoint pulls out to show the complex crystal formation. My inspiration came from the idea that we are all different as individuals, hence the unique shapes for each crystal, but we make up a larger system. This system could be an office, or a city, or a government as they all rely on each individual contributing.

Girlhood 2023

This still life was done as a practical exam in an art class. It is done in black and white conte on a toned paper. Still lifes originated in the walls of Egyptian tombs where depictions of fruit and objects would become available in the afterlife. These early still lifes depicted practical objects that would be necessary in the afterlife. This is my version of the Egytian still lifes, this is what I believe would be painted on the walls of a modern tomb. Due to the high beauty standards of modern times girls believe this is what is necesarry in the afterlife.

sea of thought 2024

This is a collage done as a class assignment. My theme was the sea and Greco-Roman architecture. I featured sea motifs and a Cupid and Venus sculpture. The overall piece represents familiarity and curiosity. For those who come from countries in the Mediterranean like myself this piece should give a hazy feeling of familiarity as the lifestyle is very influenced by ancient Greece and the sea. For the general viewers the piece should inspire the feeling of curiosity and thought because individually the imagery is quite strange.

Teenage bedroom 2024

This piece was a self project. The idea of the piece came about as I wondered the impact we each have on design. So for example, what would it look like if a messy, average, teenage girl like myself moved into an antique museum-like mansion.

The juxtaposition of a regal, well kept, museum of iconic art from periods like the renaissance, against the messy, chaotic nature of a teenager. My thought process was that a designer might dream of what a space could be used for but it is up to the individual to decide how it will be used. Another example could be a city planner designs a row of streetlights to illuminate the streets of a city. The community however, uses them to advertise small businesses by laying flyer upon flyer on the side of the streetlight. People ultimately decide how a space is used and in this case this is how I image a teen to use this space. The overall piece is created using entirely paper painted with gauche.

shell of jewel 2023

shell of jewel

This piece was another art class assignment. The challenge was to draw a still life of a random object then to use my imagination to transform the object into something unique. I started with a gem covered broach. The shape of the broach reminded me of some sort of insect but I thought that answer too obvious. So instead I thought of a hermit crab whose shell would be covered in gems and jewels much like it would be covered with barnacles in real life.

A few portraits I am proud of. These are done in guache or graphite on sketchbook paper. The goal of doing these portraits was to improve on facial anatomy and I found by using celebrities as references it allows me to notice if the proportions are off since their faces are recognizable.

Portrait studies 2023

Geometric study 2022

This piece is a small art assignment in class done in conte. The focus was on creating accurate looking geometry. Throughout the process I focused on where the light was coming from in order to create accurate shading and shadows. I experimented with different 3D shapes and cutting holes into those shapes.

Those hills 2023

This piece is done in watercolour in an art class. After years of not being back home in Albania I was feeling a bit homesick so I decided to paint a scene of a grass field I saw a few years back. I wanted the piece to look like my memory so the colours are warm and fuzzy to represent this.

This is a 3D model I did using the software Inventor in my Tech.

Design course. I created each piece of the lightsaber then assembled it all in an assembly file. I also included some dimensional drawings of a few parts of the saber to show the detail in each piece. This was a challenge as each shape had to be perfect in regard to its dimensions for the entire saber to fit together and work.

lightsaber 2023

lightsaber

fighter fish 2021

This piece is an art class assignment and is done entirely in oil pastels and clearly depicts a betta fish. I chose the betta fish because they symbolize lessons of selfreliance, courage, and standing up for oneself. They are commonly known as fighter fish and at the time that is how I saw myself; as a fighter. This piece was done during Covid when I was at a low point, classes were running abnormally but art kept me motivated throughout the school year. This piece commemorates that victory of fighting through those scary times and emerging stronger.

blue beetles 2022

This piece was an experiment in typography. I specifically tried to emulate the style and detail of medieval typography. I incorporated cobalt milkweed beetles because of their symbolism. These beetles go through a dramatic metamorphosis and because of that are a symbol of purposeful transformation. At the time of creation I was in a bad mental state and used the idea of the beetles as a metaphor of breaking out of that state.