Fern Bhuttoo

Women Water Seeds was originally an exhibition of 43 oil paintings made during a series of residencies in India and Nepal in 2014.

I was invited by the Indian NGO Environics Trust to assist in co-curating the 1st National Tribal Dance Festival held in Khajuraho, a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh, India.

I completed en plein air oil paintings of the town and dance festival, and held a painting workshop for the dance festival participants.

I then traveled to Dr Vandana Shiva’s Navdanya Farm to visit the organic seed bank and paint en plein air the daily life at the organic farm.

I traveled north to Nepal for an artist residency at the Patan Museum (a UNESCO World Heritage site) with the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Center. I was honoured to be invited to hold an exhibition of the original series of 43 oil paintings at the Patan Museum gallery. The exhibition was well received, gaining positive reviews and a feature article in Spaces Magazine.

Upon returning to my then home in Newcastle NSW, Women Water Seeds was exhibited at the local artist run 4 Point Gallery.

With much of the exhibition sold, I continued to create artworks for the series over a number of years. Women Water Seeds was exhibited at ZigZag G...

2016 Graduate Diploma in Education, University of Western Australia.

2015 Bachelor of Fine Art, University of Newcastle, New South Whales.

2010 Bachelor of Arts, Sustainable Development and Media Studies, Murdoch University, Western Australia.

Solo exhibitions, awards and grants


Women Water Seeds solo exhibition at ZigZag Gallery in Kalamunda WA in May 2022.

Work Integrated Learning Student of the Year Award 2015 from the Faculty of Education and Arts, The University of Newcastle; "In recognition and appreciation of outstanding commitment and achievement." June 2016.

iLead International Leaders Grant from The University of Newcastle in April 2015.

Solvent-free paint making workshop with artist Peter Lankas at the Newcastle Community Art Center, New South Whales in July 2015.

Mentoring with Kazuaki Tanahashi in Berkeley San Francisco California USA in March 2015.

4th International Zen Calligraphy Intensive, San Francisco California USA in March 2015.

Artist in Resident with the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Center at the Patan Museum in Nepal in March - May 2014.

Artist in Resident with Environics Trust as a co-curator of the '1st National Tribal Dance Festival - Khajuraho' in Madhya Pradesh India in February 2014.

Hunter Foundation Grant in July 2013.

Artist is Resident at The Roost Creative in Newcastle New South Wales in August 2012.

Artist is Resident at the High Street Art Studio in Fremantle, WA in April - May 2012.

'ArtStart Grant' from the Australia Coun...