After surviving the very wet Oorlogskloof hike the BTK undertook in June 2013, Silja Kiessling felt so inspired by the beautiful sight that was revealed once the clouds lifted that she turned photographs thereof into artwork. These paintings capture how overjoyed everyone had felt to finally see the sun; a moment where everyone could finally appreciate the beautiful mountains they were hiking in. Silja says that in this moment “we realised what a gift it was to be able to explore the golden and green mountains and valleys. We had realised that we had won the ‘oorlog’ against the rain and the ‘kloof’.” And surprisingly enough, she is not even an art student!

Below: Silja Kiessling’s set of paintings Oorlogskloof in Another Perspective