Karna Puri (1955-2023) was a painter whose work emerged from a deeply meditative place, where canvas and creator often seemed to merge into one. Born in Calcutta and later based in Dehradun, he trained at the Government College of Art, Calcutta, completing a five-year diploma in Drawing & Painting in 1979. His creative life was shaped by long hours of silence, nature walks, spiritual reading, and a belief that “to paint is to meditate.”

Puri’s paintings are an outpouring of the inner self rather than premeditated compositions. His brush moved in rhythm with his being, producing works that are spontaneous, unforced, and deeply connected to his inner world. He sought minimal interference of ego; instead, he trusted intuitive gestures, colors, and forms to reveal themselves.

His imagery often smacked of landscapes, nature, and the subtle disturbances of mind, strips, tones, and textures that emerge like subtle ripples in water or slanted light through foliage. Puri believed that painting itself could become meditation, a space where thought falls away, and only presence remains.

Over decades, he also taught art in various institutions (including in Dehradun) and engaged with students while maintaining a body of work that is treasured for its purity, emotional depth, and quiet power. His legacy is one of inner vision, the art of silence, light, and meditative awareness.

Education:

ISCE, St Augustine’s School, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, India—1971
5-Year Diploma—Drawing & Painting, Govt. College of Art, Calcutta, India—1979 (Deemed to be equivalent to an Honours/Post-Graduate Degree by the Directorate of Public Instruction, Govt. of West Bengal, India)
Bachelor of Arts, English, Calcutta University—1979

Professional experience

Aug 2018 to Jan 2019: Visiting Faculty, Dept. of Visual Arts, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Mar 2018 to July 2018: I.C. Visual Art (Part-time), Unschool, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Oct 2017 to Feb 2018: Head of Creativity, The Plenum School, Nahan, Himachal Pradesh
Sept 2003 to Jan 2016: Head of Dept., Visual Art & Design, Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Dec 2002 to Aug 2003: Head of Dept., Visual Art Pathways World School, Gurgaon (NCR Delhi)
Nov 2001 to Dec 2002: Head of Dept., Visual Art, The Selaqui World School. Dehradun. Uttarakhand
Sept.1995 to Oct 2001: Senior Teacher, Visual Art, The Assam Valley School, Assam
Dec.1986 to May 1987: Art Teacher, Senior Wing, Army Public School, New Delhi
Dec.1985 to Oct.1986: Textile Designer J. P. Export, New Delhi
Oct.1984 to Nov.1985: F. O. Trainee, Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi.
Mar.1982 to Sept.1984: Art Teacher, Senior School, St. Thomas’ Church School, Calcutta
Dec.1978 to Dec.1981: Proprietor Textile Designing & Printing Unit, Calcutta

Karna Puri

Visual Artist | Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Available Artworks by Karna Puri