It has followed him through his professional life as a scientist in the field of molecular biology.

“Since I was a child, I can always remember drawing and being creative, and even when I was an Associate Professor my need to do something else was there,” Mr Henderson said.

Having moved permanently to Port Macquarie over a year ago, Mr Henderson said a chance encounter with the town over 15 years ago was the reason for his eventual move to Port.

“Initially it was by accident that my wife and I came to Port Macquarie over 15 years ago, but since then, the idea of moving here has always been on the cards and after I became an artist full time in 2013 I had wanted to move here,” he said.

Typically the art found in the Ultragrafik gallery is quite intricate, and Mr Henderson said that comes down to his scientific background.

He added that his work has undergone a progression over the years.

“The arts and science don’t naturally go together because they are two very different processes, but saying that, there are some commonalities,” he explained.

“In particular, my art is very intricate and in both field one can become quite obsessive when a project is near completion,” he said.

“The main thing I love about art is the freedom of expression, you can really see my soul on the canvas when you look at my work.”

The gallery, in Colonial Arcade, on Hay Street, also hosts local and visiting artists, and Mr Henderson said that in two weeks some of the pieces in the gallery will be changed.

“At the moment we are showcasing an exhibition called ‘Field of Dreams’ but in a fortnight I will be changing the gallery over to some new work called ‘Symmetry of Nature’ which is a project I have been working on for nearly two years focusing more on abstract interpretations of nature.”

Field of Dreams explores perception of reality by surrealistic drawings that tap into the subconscious. 

Art in the exhibition showcased the works of Beric Henderson, Steve Durbach and David Brooker.

Visit www.ultragrafik.com.