Karl Maughan
Idlewild
18 May - 4 June 2011
Preview: Tuesday 17 May, 5- 7 pm
Ever faithful to his garden subject Karl Maughan is one of New Zealands most recognisable artists. With a career now spanning more than three decades, Maughans practice continues to gain momentum and captivate his audiences with his contemporary interpretations of an age-old subject.
Despite a dedication to his to subject, within this Maughan has multifarious approaches. Where earlier works were acutely realist, other series are more fantastical as details are simplified and their colours exaggerated. For Idlewild, Maughan has combined these elements in his approach and in this way Idlewild relates strongly to his paintings of the early 1990s.
Based from a large archive of images taken in New Zealand and abroad, Maughans scenes are fabricated adding a mystical quality to his paintings. Although these works have no specific geography, the series is brought together by the use of soft light which loans a distinctly New Zealand feel to this grouping.