‘No Diesel’

Lucey’s work centres around dilapidated abandoned petrol stations, focusing on neglected fuel pumps. These landscapes represent a ‘sign of the times’, forecourts left redundant by the development of by-passes. Family-run stations have given way to larger chains. The title of the exhibition stems from the commonly seen makeshift signs outside these rural garage forecourts stating ‘Sorry, No Diesel’ . There is a strong personal undercurrent to the project, as the petrol stations documented are dotted along Lucey’s travel route from her home in Kerry to Limerick City, expressing ‘a certain solitude and sense of abandonment’.

‘I want to highlight the beauty of the thing which, in many ways, has gone unnoticed in these abandoned objects. My interest also lies in the cracked paint and rusted areas of the old petrol pumps which is something that always stands out for me’.

Her painting style utilises palette knives to loosely apply paint to the canvas. Dripping paint contrasts with areas of flatly applied colour to create a variety of surface textures. Colour is integral to these images, with the dark reds and oranges capturing the effect of years of these petrol pumps exposure to harsh weather conditions, resulting in deeply etched rusting. Blues and greens also feature predominantly, capturing the varied landscape along the route.

Rochelle graduated in 2012 with BA Honours in Fine Art Painting from Limerick School of Art and Design. She is an acting committee member for ‘Kfest Music and Arts Festival’, a new festival taking place in Kilorglin, Co Kerry. This will be her second solo exhibition, the first of which, entitled ‘The Establishment’ was a sellout. She was artist in residence from 2009 to 2011 in Scoil Mhuire, Killorglin under the Kerry County Council Artists in Schools Scheme. During her time here she worked on large scale art projects with children of all ages.