I joined 20 devotees of ink painting in the 90-minute workshop in the education centre on Sunday, for what proved to be something of an artistic/spiritual experience. Max shared his knowledge of Asian aesthetics and a deep love of sumi ink painting – the man has produced thousands.

A short introduction from Max preceded each painting exercise, the most memorable being the koan 'What was your face, before your face, in your mother's womb', which we all dutifully depicted in an intuitive sweep of the brush.

The materials were simple yet exquisite: imported Thai paper, traditional sumi ink and we each chose a sumi ink brush from Max's gorgeous collection.

Max is a charismatic teacher (one eager female participant arrived with a bunch of flowers for him) who darts between poignant Asian truths and dry Kiwi with with aplomb. He will be returning next summer to offer the workshop again, so be sure to sign up for the Gallery's eNewsletter on the homepage to receive early notification of his visit.