Platform Guide

Complete how-to documentation for managing your website, gallery, and auctions.

Platform Overview

Your platform consists of three main components that work together:

Accessing Admin Tools

1. Go to thewaterandoilartist.com
2. Click the ⚙ gear icon in the top navigation (right side, after "Client Portal")
3. Enter your admin password when prompted
4. Choose Gallery Admin or Auction App

Website Structure

Your website has these main sections:

• Gallery — Dynamically loaded from the admin system (no HTML editing needed)
• Collections — Coastal & Harbor / Equine themed sections
• About — Artist bio and process photos
• Shop — Coming soon with email notification signup
• Auctions — Information about upcoming auctions
• Contact — Contact form
• Client Portal — For registered clients (future feature)

Updating Website Content

Gallery images are managed through the Gallery Admin — changes appear instantly on the live site. For other content (text, layout), edit index.html and redeploy:

cd C:\Users\artis\Downloads\thewaterandoilartist-site
npx wrangler pages deploy . --project-name thewaterandoilartist-site

Gallery Admin

The Gallery Admin at /admin lets you manage all artwork in your public gallery. After logging in you'll see a stats row (total artworks, originals, prints, images), a category filter, and a grid of all your artworks.

Adding a New Artwork

1. Click "+ New Artwork" in the top bar
2. Fill in the details:
   • Title — Name of the painting (required)
   • Medium — e.g., "Oil on Canvas", "Watercolor on Paper"
   • Status — Original, Print Available, Sold, or Not for Sale
   • Visible — Yes to show on the public gallery, No to hide
   • Categories — Check all that apply
3. Click "Create Artwork"
4. The form switches to edit mode — now upload images by dragging or clicking the upload zone
5. Click image thumbnails to set the cover image

Editing an Artwork

1. Find the artwork in the grid
2. Click "Edit" on the card
3. Update any fields — title, medium, status, categories, visibility
4. Add or remove images as needed
5. Click "Save Changes"

Adding Images to Existing Artworks

Method 1 — From the Edit modal

Click "Edit" on any artwork, then use the upload zone to add more images.

Method 2 — Using the "+ Add Images" button

1. Click "+ Add Images" in the top bar
2. Search for the artwork by name
3. Select it from the results list
4. Drop or browse to upload new images
5. Click "Done" when finished

Bulk Upload

For adding many new artworks at once:

1. Click "Bulk Upload" in the top bar
2. Select multiple image files — each becomes a new artwork
3. Titles are auto-generated from filenames
4. After upload, edit each artwork to set the correct title, medium, and categories

Reordering Artworks

Drag and drop artwork cards in the admin grid to reorder them. The new order saves automatically and is reflected on the public website.

Multiple Images per Artwork

Each artwork can have multiple images — different angles, framed versions, detail shots, etc.

• Admin: Hover over a card to see left/right arrows to browse images
• Website: Visitors see arrows on hover and can click to browse. The lightbox supports arrow keys (← →)
• Cover image: In the edit modal, click a thumbnail to set it as the cover

Creating a New Auction

1. Open the Auction App (⚙ → Auction App)
2. Go to Auction Setup (left sidebar → CONFIG)
3. Fill in:
   • Auction Name — e.g., "Spring Collection 2026"
   • Description — Brief description
   • Venue / Location — Where the live event takes place
   • Beneficiary — If it's a benefit auction (optional)
4. Set Phase Dates — online bidding open, live event date/time, close date/time
5. Configure Bidding Rules — buyer's premium %, bid increment, buy now settings
6. Verify Stripe Integration — Worker URL and publishable key
7. Click Save Settings

Adding Auction Lots

1. Go to Catalog (left sidebar)
2. Click "+ Add Lot"
3. Fill in lot details — number, title, artist, medium, year, estimates, minimum bid, buy now price
4. Upload photos for the lot
5. Save the lot

Running a Live Auction

1. Go to Live Console (left sidebar)
2. Select the current lot
3. Enter bids as they come in — amounts and bidder paddle numbers
4. Online bidders can bid through the Bidder Portal simultaneously
5. Mark lots as Sold with the hammer price when bidding ends
6. Move to the next lot

Buy Now

Bidders can submit Buy Now offers at the listed price. Depending on your settings:

• Require approval — Offers appear in the Buy Now Queue for you to approve or decline
• Close immediately — The lot closes automatically when a Buy Now is submitted

Managing Bidders

Go to Bidders in the sidebar to add and manage registered bidders with their contact info and paddle numbers. Bidders can be marked as in-person or online.

SMS Notifications

The auction app can send SMS alerts via Twilio:

• Outbid alerts — Notify bidders when they've been outbid
• Lot won alerts — Notify winners with invoice details
• Auction reminders — Remind bidders before the event
• Buy now alerts — Approve/decline notifications

Stripe Payments

Stripe handles all payment processing. Your integration supports direct card payments and payment links sent to buyers.

Processing Payments

1. In the Catalog or Invoices section, click "Pay with Stripe" on a sold lot
2. The form shows lot details, hammer price + buyer's premium = total due
3. Enter card details and click "Pay Now"
4. Or click "Send Payment Link" to email a secure Stripe link to the buyer

Switching to Live Payments

1. Ensure your Stripe account is activated at dashboard.stripe.com
2. Get your live API keys from Developers → API keys
3. Update the Worker secret key:

   cd C:\Users\artis\gavels-worker\gavels-worker
   npx wrangler secret put STRIPE_SECRET_KEY

   Paste the sk_live_... key when prompted
4. Update the auction app's publishable key in Auction Setup
5. Redeploy the website

Test Card Numbers (Sandbox Only)

Use any future expiration date, any 3-digit CVC, and any ZIP code.

Deployment & Updates

File Locations

Deploy Website Updates

cd C:\Users\artis\Downloads\thewaterandoilartist-site
npx wrangler pages deploy . --project-name thewaterandoilartist-site

Deploy API/Worker Updates

cd C:\Users\artis\gavels-worker\gavels-worker
npx wrangler deploy

Managing Secrets

cd C:\Users\artis\gavels-worker\gavels-worker
npx wrangler secret put SECRET_NAME

Current secrets: ADMIN_PASSWORD, STRIPE_SECRET_KEY, TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN, TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER

Frequently Asked Questions