Maughan splits his time between London and New Zealand, and is firmly established in both nations. 

Maughan first began painting in the outdoors, but found struggling with changeable elements such as wind, light and weather too problematic.  Maughan now captures gardens on film and takes them back to his studio, where he can play and reinvent the colours, lighting and viewpoints of the gardens.

Maughan is interested in the way control is asserted over nature in the quest for a beautiful garden, with pruning, planting and landscaping.  This idea is then taken a step further by changing the appearance of the gardens as he paints to fit his desired and idealised landscape.