Meet the Art in the Park Team
A management team of enthusiastic creative souls supported by art loving volunteers organise this annual event, helping and encouraging artists of all types, from far and near to promote, to perform and to sell their work. They are all too busy working for Art in the Park to write their own bio's so these are my impressions of them, in my own words.


Russell Deyell is a South Island boy who has spent half his life in the financial jungle of London, but has seen the light and returned to the temperate rain forests of Te Wai Pounamu. Russell had a life-long passion (if not any talent) for art, and is delighted to be assisting local artists to get their amazing work in front of the public.
Russell Deyell

Does lots of talking at the meetings, pretty good with tools as well. Oh, and he is a pen and ink artist of some repute - likes buildings and structures.
Gary Hopkinson

This is Brenda, artist and musician! She is a valuable member of the team because if she didn't take notes at the meeting and communicate with all of us in between meetings, no one would know anything!!
Brenda Daglish

Richard was new to the Art in the Park committee in 2022, and got stuck right in. He is just one of those workhorses that every team needs!
Richard Nash

Rae organises the artists and all their needs - from registration onwards. Somehow, she also finds time to produce some beautiful paintings.
Rae Hopkinson

Counts the pennies in between carving pounamu, travelling around the country to markets and endless trips to the hospital (slightly accident prone).
Marlene Trounson

"Last year after my husband passed I moved from Auckland to Greymouth.
Wanting to get involved in a local group I helped Marlene out with a couple of things and ended up at Art in the Park."
And that's exactly what happens here on the West Coast! Good to have you on board Robyn.
Robyn Sharpe

Spends way too much time on the internet and social media. Fortunately for Art in the Park Helen also manages our website content. Not an artist of repute at all. Sort of fell into the job as you do.....
Helen Wilson

Joan considers herself too peripheral to the core team to warrant a bio. I got artistic with her photo to make her look like that. Sort of on the edge! It's what happens if you don't send one yourself.
We appreciate all the media stories Joan prepares for Art in the Park.
Joan Fairhall