Shilpo — A Space for Artists and Their Art
Shilpo is a full-stack art portfolio management application that helps artists, curators, and small studios organize their artwork in one place. It connects artists, collections, and individual artworks in a clear structure, making portfolios easier to maintain and explore. Visitors can browse the public gallery, while registered users can securely manage their own content through a personal dashboard.
Design & UI
I designed Shilpo to put the artwork at the center of the experience. The public gallery features a draggable layout and an artwork details panel, encouraging visitors to explore. Responsive layouts and GSAP animations support the browsing experience, while search and pagination help users find specific pieces. The dashboard provides portfolio counts and reusable forms with validation feedback to make content management straightforward.
Tech Stack Used
- React
- Vite
- React Router
- Tailwind CSS
- Tailgrids
- GSAP
- Python
- Flask
- Flask-CORS
- PostgreSQL
- Flask-SQLAlchemy
- Flask-Migrate
- Psycopg
- Flask-Bcrypt
- Marshmallow
- Vercel
- Render
- npm
- Pipenv
Development Journey
I began by modeling the relationship between artists, their collections, and the artworks within each collection. From there, I built a Flask REST API and connected it to a React frontend, adding full create, read, update, and delete functionality for all three resources. Authentication introduced another layer of responsibility: protecting each user’s content. I implemented session-based authentication and backend ownership checks, including checks when users add or move collections and artworks. I then expanded the experience with a personal dashboard, search, pagination, and animations. Deploying the frontend and backend separately gave me practical experience with environment variables, database configuration, CORS, and the differences between local and production environments.
Reflection
Shilpo brought my interests in art, design, and development together in one project. It strengthened my understanding of relational data modeling, frontend state management, authentication, and API design. I learned that a polished interface depends on clear data relationships, reliable validation, and carefully enforced permissions. Future improvements could include image uploads to simplify adding artwork and a purchasing feature to support art sales. For now, Shilpo provides a foundation for organizing and sharing art through a connected full-stack experience.
Snippets
