"Think of what Paresh Maity does as the artistic equivalent of tightrope walking without a safety net. Something that demands preternatural confidence and rare talent as basic inputs. Water colour is a fiendishly unforgiving medium to work in. There is simply no margin for error" ----Outlook. According to Paresh Maity "Water-colours are my heart & soul". For the span of the last 20 years, the name Paresh Maity has become a name of proficiency. Paresh Maity`s touch automatically creates magic on any medium, be it paper, canvas or any other medium. The colours of his creation echo the trait of being intensely emotional. Paresh Maity attempts to capture all, including the sand dunes of Rajasthan, the backwaters of Kerala, the canals of Venice, to the lakes of Geneva.

Paresh Maity was born in 1965 in Kolkata, India. Presently he lives in Delhi and was married to artist wife Jayasri Burman. After obtaining a degree in Fine Arts from the Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta, he went to study Masters of Fine Arts, from the Delhi College of Arts. Through out his 20 years of artistic career, Paresh has experimented with abstracts. The abstracts were more of liberation from the confines of landscapes. When he works on figures, the setting of context is more frequently disregarded. Paresh Maity in general focuses on the figure, particularly on the faces, sometimes with their multitudinous expressions. These expressions are intimately cut back and juxtaposed with their milieu. The colours used to portray expressions are vibrant and astonishes the viewer. The conventionalised, simplified figures of his creation have a story of their own, enrapturing one to an exotic land.

It can be said that Paresh Maity gradually moved to representations of the human form, from atmospheric sceneries. Today he concentrates in painting bold, graphic images. Some solo exhibitions of his to mention are-- in 2004 CIMA Art Gallery, Kolkata; in 2003 Shapes in Symphony, Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 2002 Artsindia, New York; in 2002 Venetian Odyssey, British Council, New Delhi; in 2002 Tagore Centre, Berlin Germany; in 2001 Venetian Odyssey, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 2001 Philip Gallery, London; in 2000 CIMA Art Gallery, Kolkata; in 2000 Gallerie Aspekte, Germany; in 2000 Venetian Odyssey, Hotel Aryanbika, Debrecen, Hungary; in 1999 Two Decades of Classic Watercolours, Shridharani, Triveni Kala, Sangam, Gallerie Ganesha, and British Council, New Delhi; in 1998 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and at Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1998 Gallerie Mohanjeet, Paris; in 1998 Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore; in 1997 CIMA-Centre of International Modern Art, Kolkata; in 1996 Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangama, New Delhi; in 1996 Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, New Delhi; in 1996 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1996 Paracelsus Rotenfleskdinik Ausgestelt in association with Galerie Aspekie, Germany; ARKS Gallery, London; in 1995 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1994 British Council, Kolkata; in 1994 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1994 The Gallery, Chennai; in 1994 Galerie Aspekte, Germany; in 1994 Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangama, New Delhi; in 1993 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1993 All India Fine Arts and Craft Society, New Delhi; in 1992 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1992 Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; in 1992 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1992 Siddartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu; in 1992 Windsor Manor, Bangalore; in 1991 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1991 Gallery Katayun, Kolkata; in 1991 Sophia Duchesne Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1990 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1990 Gallery Katayun, Kolkata; in 1989 Gallery Katayun, Kolkata; in 1988 Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata.

Apart from these mentioned above, Paresh Maity has also participated in group exhibitions like-- in 2003 Uttarayan, group show of Egypt; in 2002 Rossy and Rossy Gallery, London in association with Gallery`88; in 2002 Auction at Bonhams, London in association with Modi Foundation; in 2002 International water colour exhibition, Royal Watercolour Society, London; in 2002 Art workshop, Jaipur; Bangkok; in 2001 Rossy and Rossy Gallery, London, in association of Modi Foundation; in 2001 Erotica, Gallerie Mohanjeet, Paris; in 2000 International Art Camp, Hungary; in 2000 Participated in Indian exhibition in Dubai; in 1999 International Art Camp, Hungary; in 1999 Art Workshop, Dhaka, Bangladesh; in 1997 Aquarelle Internationale Thun, Switzerland; Images of Kolkata; in 1997 Exhibition along with Ragu Rai and Desmond Doig, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata; in 1996 INCITATO Art camp, Transylvania; Romania; in 1996 Tribute to Mother Teresa, Mumbai; in 1996 Group Show, Gallerie 88, Kolkata; in 1996 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1996 `Views and Visions`, Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1996 `Wounds`, Cima Gallery, Kolkata; in 1996 National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; in 1996 `Trends and Images`, Cima Gallery, Kolkata; in 1996 World Miniature Exhibition, Toronto, Canada; in 1995 Cleveland International Drawing Biennale, Cleveland; in 1995 `Tree in My Life`, Village Gallery, New Delhi; in 1994 Exhibition, Gallery Katayun, Kolkata; in 1994 Group Show, Gallerie 88, Kolkata; in 1994 Indian Contemporary Art Exhibition, Tokyo; in 1994 `People for Animals`, Taj Hotel, New Delhi; in 1993 Group Exhibition, Gallery Katayun, Kolkata; in 1991 Annual Exhibition, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; in 1990 Annual Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata; in 1989 Annual Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata; in 1989 Annual Exhibition, All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society, Delhi.

As recognition to his talent he has been conferred scores of accolades like-- Royal Watercolour Society, London in 2002; Harmony Award in Mumbai, 1999; British Council Visitorship in 1993; Pt. Ravishankar Award from College of Art, New Delhi in 1992; All India Fine Arts and Craft Society Award for 62nd All India Art Exhibition, New Delhi in 1990; Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata conferred the award for Outstanding Painting in 1990; All India Fine Arts and Craft Society Award for Beast Watercolour Painting, New Delhi in 1990; National Scholarship Award from Government of India in 1989; Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Celebration Award in 1988; Governor`s Gold Medal from Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata in 1988; Jamini Roy Birth Centenary Celebration Award in 1987; Award from Indian Society of Oriental Art, Kolkata in 1986; Award from Government of West Bengal for Best Water Colour Painting in 1985; Award from Indian Society of Oriental Art, Kolkata in 1983 and Gold Medal from U.S.S.R in the same year.