Having studied at Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, I began my first-class Honours degree in fine art there. However, as a police officer at Chelsea Police Station, at the time, balancing my studies with my duties became difficult and so I only completed my degree decades down the line. During my time working at the station, I met Lady Diana, an encounter that inspired the painting, 'why did you let me fall' decades later. Having also served as a prison officer, my artworks carry a raw imprint from life experiences and personal memories, deeply focusing on expression and composition, revealing hidden truths. Evoking the intersection of Seduction and Fear: The works mix the seductive, pulp-fiction style with sinister elements—using reddish brown paint to imply danger—to highlight the juxtaposition of desire and mortality. The paintings challenge the status quo and the banality of injustice and corruption in the administration of governments and our acceptance to normalise this suffering. Defying traditional subjectivity: which explore the masculine myth of prisoners and prison officers, aimed at deconstructing the constructed ideal, of integrity and morality, by exploring these gender tropes. Ironically there are sweeteners and inducements provided by powers and authority that encourage ignorance and apathy. The system of government allow us to be readily manipulated, however, "It has a caveat: it's a double-edged sword." Those that know and those that wish to ignore and bury their head in the sand. I probe the institutional establishments of prisons. Exploring the cultural subconsciousness: and analyze the "void" of our injustice system and culture by presenting images that are both familiar and deeply uncomfortable, focusing on fantasies, desire, and anxiety. The ambiguity in the images leaves much of the responsibility for these interpretations with the viewer. Then there are those that happily accept without analysing and questioning. So there is no one correct philosophy or answer and it is for the viewer to arrive at the end of their own personal rainbow at the end of their yellow brick road, to discover their own truths. My paintings often evoke and capture an enigmatic, psychoanalytic approach, often featuring masked or guarded figures in staged, dreamlike scenarios. I explore the subject matter usually from memory and inflict that imagery onto the canvas sometimes in a blurred and erased manner replicating the past memory in a future contextualisation of those fleeting moments that are still registered in my memory recall. Alluding to the experience in a heightened alertness and reflection. Inventing apocryphal and uncanonical genre settings in hospital in theatrical scenes which are satirical yet truthful. I have over 70 paintings including large-scale ones - all on canvas in oils, ranging from 7 feet x 5 feet to 9 feet x 12 feet. I am currently unrepresented and so welcome opportunities to collaborate with a suitable gallery and curatorial team. My email is: benherr1971@gmail.com You can find some of my paintings are on my website: wix/misterbutterfly.wixsite.com/mybutterfly Password for each contents page and gallery: butterflies7