Karl Maughan takes the garden as his subject matter. From wild and overgrown hedges to meticulously manicured lawns, Maughan deftly captures the light, colour, texture, and pattern found in nature. Over the last three decades the artist has developed his own distinct visual language, which has in turn taken on a life of its own, shooting and sprouting in different directions. The garden continues to offer both artist and viewer new opportunities for discovery; whether thrust onto thick undergrowth or invited to wander up a well-cut path, we are left marvelling at the vibrancy and immediacy of these botanical creations.
Karl Maughan (b.1964) grew up in the Manawatu, first living on a farm near Colyton, then in Palmerston North, and finally in 1977 in Ashhurst. Maughan graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1986. In 1987 he decided to complete his master’s degree and had his first solo show at the Brooker Gallery, Wellington. Maughan moved in 1994 to London, where he married novelist Emily Perkins and where their three children were born. Maughan had several studios around the East End and his London successes included being a finalist in the 1997 John Moores biennial paintings prize at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, purchases by the Saatchi Collection and the Arts Council of England and, in 1999, the production of a six-panel work for display at a Habitat store, A clear day, which was later purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Maughan returned to New Zealand in 2005 and currently lives and works in Pōneke Wellington.