Dana Tegissova reflects on her connection to the natural world through Grafton Tyler Brown’s Yellowstone Falls, a botany research project in Muir Woods National Park, and her hometown Almaty, Kazakhstan.
My story begins in my hometown of Almaty, located in the heart of Kazakhstan and one of the most beautiful cities in Central Asia. Almaty is rich and famous among tourists around the world for its mesmerizing landscapes and breathtaking Alatau Mountains, where one of the most famous and largest ski resorts in Central Asia, Shymbulak, is located. My city is also nicknamed the green capital of Kazakhstan, as it is rich in vegetation and greenery. This landscape seeded dreams of distant places and legendary wildernesses. When I first laid eyes on Grafton Tyler Brown’s Yellowstone Falls, it was like stepping into a dream long held in the recesses of my heart—a dream where the familiar ruggedness of Almaty’s landscapes extended across the world to the iconic vistas of Yellowstone.
I heard about the artist Grafton Tyler Brown in 2022 on a trip to San Francisco. At that time, the de Young Museum conducted a tour about American art where he was mentioned as a cartographer in San Francisco in the 1960–70s. After the 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt’s remarks about the Grand Canyon and how important it is to preserve natural beauty in its original form, Grafton Tyler Brown was one of the first artists to respond to this call. But when I saw his work two years later and on the other side of the USA, it reminded me of several valuable memories that I think about often, so this painting left me with warmth in my heart and I could not help but share my impressions of it.
Since childhood, I have always been proud that I have access to hiking and it has turned into my lifestyle and hobby. I knew the expression “The mountains are calling, and I must go” from early childhood, but I would never have thought that someday I would become a part of it. In 2022, I flew for the first time on a student exchange program for a research project in botany to Muir Woods National Park, which is located in Mill Valley in California and is part of the Ortega network of national reserves, which includes Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and, of course, Yellowstone National Park. I worked and wrote a thesis on the cosmetic properties of the flora growing in this park, and I also had the opportunity to work in the visiting center, greeting and serving thousands of people from all over the world. I was among trees that are more than a thousand years old every day for four months and these were some of the best moments of my life. I can say with confidence that such an experience had a positive effect on many aspects of my development as a person. Since childhood, I knew for sure that nature is the source of life and health, both physical and mental, and everything deep, beautiful and spiritual originates here.
I was able to feel everything that Grafton Tyler Brown painted and was deeply amazed by the precision with which he depicted the details and atmosphere. As I mentioned before, I first heard of him as a cartographer and perhaps this was the reason for the precision and scientific approach. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the world underwent industrialization and great changes. That is why it was so important that history was conveyed while preserving as much reality as possible, without abstractions, excessive fantasy and room for unprofessional imagination. As if everyone can feel all this grandeur from any point in the world just by looking at how the artist depicted splashing spray from the pressure of the waterfall, red rocks, and where the waterfall originates, you can slightly see those same thousand-year-old trees.
—Dana Tegissova
About the author
I am Dana Tegissova, a graduate student at the University of Texas and an avid nature enthusiast. Growing up in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the Alatau Mountains as my backyard, I developed a deep connection to the wilderness. My love for hiking and exploring national parks inspired me to share my impressions of Grafton Tyler Brown’s Yellowstone Falls, a painting that resonated deeply with my memories and experiences. Through moments of contemplation, both in nature and in art, I’ve come to treasure how these encounters shape our most vivid memories and remind us of the importance of preserving beauty.