“I am constantly fascinated and frustrated with the impact humans have on the earth. I am drawn to trees in cages, litter in a pristine landscape, patterns of circles and squares carved into the terrain. I can't seem to photograph anything else. I can't seem to see anything else. I wonder if others marvel at the destruction and ultimate death we are inflicting.”

— Heather Joy, 2004

“In 2004, I flew around the county several times, and each time I was glued to my window with my camera at my eye. It blows my mind when the pilot comes on the intercom and says, ‘We are about to start the movie, so please close your window shade to reduce the glare on the tv monitors.’ I refuse to close my window shade. I refuse to close my eyes to the manipulated landscape below. My eyes are open to the fact that there is a road through that pristine mountain top. My eyes are open to the lake that has a perfectly flat side due to the dam at the end of it. My eyes are open to the patches of clearcut throughout the forest below. So I photographed that manipulated landscape. And then I continued the manipulation by using oil paint to exaggerate the roads, the perfect circles, and the multiple squares. I found these aerial patterns duplicated in other non-aerial photographs I had taken. I then created my own manipulations on those photographs, and I felt powerful, just like I would assume those who log forests or build dams feel when they are controlling nature.

The thing is, I use the electricity created by the dam, and the lumber from the forest, and I’ve driven many a mountain top road. So where does that leave me? It leaves me struggling...struggling with the impact I have on this earth.”

— Heather Joy’s artist statement her 2004 Tragic Beauty show