Heitner layers acrylic and oil paint, text, and his own archival black and white negatives on canvas and wood. These compositions channel losses from death, illness, and betrayal into resonant expressions of pain and grace. Painting functions as both symptom and cure; the work asserts the irreducible uniqueness of individual survival and courage when confronting catastrophe.

Currently an MA Painting candidate at the Royal College of Art, Heitner draws upon a medical career spanning surgery and psychiatry across New York, Colorado, California, Maui, Wuhan, and Shanghai. His training under the pre-eminent psychoanalyst Dr. Otto Kernberg informs his interrogation of the human condition. This background—ranging from oncology wards to the care of the undocumented—exposed the universal friction between secrecy and intimacy. He observed that patients, parents, friends, and spouses alike often withhold truth to preserve bonds; love and lies travel together.

Heitner engages in "serious play" to address this tension. His painterly surrender to randomness bypasses conscious editing, allowing for the "unconcealment" of the subconscious. The resulting image is not merely an object, but a dynamic conversation between the painter, the self, the painting, and the viewer. In this shared space, it becomes safe to be vulnerable, and even to celebrate.