Somewhere Between Drawing and Painting | The Torrance Gallery Sunday Journals — No. 17

There is something reassuring about being able to put things into categories. A drawing is made with a pencil; a painting involves paint and, usually, a brush. Constantine.. The Artist spent Saturday in the Garden Room at The Torrance Gallery working with oil sticks which, rather spoiled that distinction (ever the maverick!).

Constantine.. in The Garden Room for his one-day-only residency, The Torrance Gallery, August 2026

 

He arrived early, dressed for the occasion in overalls and a bowler hat, always a gentleman, with an ambitious plan to complete five pieces over the course of the day. By closing time he had managed three — probably a more realistic indication of how long making something actually takes when people are stopping to watch, ask questions and have a chat.

 

Watching him work felt closer to drawing than painting. The oil stick goes directly onto the surface: lines are laid down, repeated, altered and surrounded by colour until the image begins to take shape. There is an immediacy to it that makes the process particularly satisfying to watch.

Close-up of delicious oil stick texture and negative space on 'Pink Lemonade' by Constantine..

 

But, as it turned out, the making was only part of the afternoon.

 

One of the pleasures of having an artist working publicly is the conversations that spring up around them. Over the course of the day we somehow covered accidentally finding oneself in film-school classes and the practical merits of an undertaker’s hearse — which, when you think about it, really is an excellent vehicle for an artist. Plenty of room for canvases, suitably eccentric, and very difficult to lose in a car park.

 

My favourite encounter, though, was with a young boy who had specifically chosen Constantine..’s live drawing as his preferred outing for the day. He stayed to watch and the two struck up a lovely conversation about their shared enjoyment of drawing and making things. It was one of those small interactions that would never have happened if the artist weren’t there.

 

Galleries normally present the finished object: the point at which all the decisions have already been made, the materials tidied away and the artist removed from the scene. On Saturday we had the opposite. There were works in progress, oil sticks on the floor, conversations interrupting the plan and three finished pieces where five had been intended. Which, really, seems a much more truthful account of creativity.

'Lemonade' work-in-progress by Constantine.. The Torrance Gallery, August 2026

'Lemonade' finished work by Constantine.. The Torrance Gallery, August 2026

 

Thank you to Constantine for spending his Saturday with us and sharing his talent with everyone. We hope to host him again int he future along with other artists.

 

You can learn more about Constantine.., his practice and his 3-month residency at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh in 2025 in the video below: