Tsion Mehari Artist Website
A custom artist portfolio and content platform for Tsion Mehari, built with Next.js and Supabase. The website combines an editorial, artwork-led public experience with a secure admin dashboard that enables Tsion to manage portfolio content, website copy, imagery, newsletter subscribers, and SEO settings from one place.
- Client
- Tsion Mehari
- Type
- Artist Portfoilo
- Delivered
- October 2026
- Live
- Visit site
How it went.
- 01
What was wrong
Tsion needed more than a visually strong online portfolio. She needed a digital platform that could grow alongside her artistic practice.
A static website would have made routine updates dependent on a developer. Adding new artwork, changing written content, updating images, managing newsletter subscribers, or improving page-level SEO would require technical support each time.
The challenge was to build a site that preserved the visual and emotional quality of her work while giving her direct control over the website after launch.
- 02
What we did
We designed and developed a custom artist platform using Next.js and Supabase.
- Built a responsive, artwork-first portfolio website with custom layouts for desktop, tablet, and mobile.
- Developed a protected admin dashboard for managing content without touching the codebase.
- Connected the public website to live Supabase data so dashboard updates can appear on the website dynamically.
- Built artwork and portfolio management for adding, editing, featuring, organising, and removing work.
- Created workflows for managing titles, descriptions, images, featured status, and page visibility.
- Used Supabase Storage for secure image and media management.
- Used Supabase Authentication to protect dashboard access.
- Implemented role-aware database policies to keep content and subscriber data secure.
- Built newsletter capture and subscriber management into the website.
- Created a scalable content structure for future exhibitions, press, collections, availability, enquiries, and sales.
- Added a tailored SEO foundation across the site, individual artworks, and portfolio pages.
- 03
What changed
Tsion now has a professional public portfolio and a secure system for managing it.
Instead of relying on a developer to publish a new piece, update copy, change images, or collect audience interest, she can manage the website through a central dashboard.
The final platform provides:
- A polished digital home for her artwork
- A scalable portfolio that can grow with her practice
- Direct ownership of website content
- Secure management of images and media
- A newsletter audience-building tool
- A structured SEO foundation
- A system ready for future exhibitions, press, enquiries, and artwork sales
The result is not just a portfolio website. It is a custom content platform built to support Tsion’s long-term artistic presence online.
How it was built.
Public website
The public-facing website was built in Next.js, with a custom interface designed around Tsion’s artwork, creative identity, and portfolio narrative.
The front end uses reusable components for navigation, artwork cards, portfolio layouts, project pages, editorial content, and calls to action. This keeps the visual system consistent while allowing the portfolio to grow over time.
The site is fully responsive, so the artwork and typography remain intentional across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Admin dashboard
A secure admin dashboard was developed to give the client direct control over the website.
From the dashboard, Tsion can manage:
- Artwork and portfolio entries
- Artwork images and media
- Project titles, descriptions, and featured status
- Website copy and content sections
- Artist biography and profile details
- Newsletter subscribers
- Content visibility and publishing status
- SEO information for individual pages and artworks
This removes the need to rely on a developer for routine updates while keeping the website structure and design system protected.
Supabase backend
Supabase powers the platform’s live data layer.
It was used for:
- Database management for artwork, content, and subscriber records
- Authentication for protected dashboard access
- Storage for portfolio imagery and uploaded media
- Real-time or live content delivery between the dashboard and public website
- Secure data access through role-based permissions and database policies
The data model was designed so new content can be added through the dashboard and displayed dynamically on the website without rebuilding the core experience.
Newsletter management
Newsletter functionality was built into the platform to give Tsion a direct relationship with her audience rather than relying only on social media platforms.
Visitors can subscribe through the website, and subscriber information is stored securely in the system. The dashboard provides a central place to view and manage the audience list, creating a foundation for future exhibition announcements, new-work releases, studio updates, and event communication.
SEO and discoverability
SEO was approached as part of the build, not as an afterthought.
A tailored SEO setup was implemented to make the site more understandable to search engines and more compelling when shared online. This included:
- Page-specific titles and meta descriptions
- Artist- and artwork-relevant keywords written naturally, rather than keyword stuffing
- Structured URLs for portfolio pages and content
- Open Graph metadata for stronger previews on WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms
- Image alt text to support accessibility and image search
- Canonical URLs to avoid duplicate-content issues
- Search-friendly heading structure and semantic HTML
- Sitemap and robots configuration
- Individual metadata fields in the dashboard for content-level SEO control
The SEO strategy was personalised around Tsion’s name, work as a painter, Addis Ababa context, artistic themes, selected artwork titles, exhibitions, and the language used to describe her practice. This allows the website to build discoverability around the artist herself rather than compete broadly for generic terms such as “artist portfolio.”
Built with
- Next.js
- Tailwind CSS and Supabase
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