The snow whips across the surface, nearly horizontal in the wind and rendered in long pencilled streaks. The bare trees bend under the gale and the sky is a haze of high cloud, while in the foreground the wire fencing has become frost-blue with rime: it’s cold out there. Nonetheless, Kurelek’s subjects aren’t deterred, and are determined to brace the worst of it on their way into school. Hats pulled down, scarves pulled up, bent forward or walking backwards against the heave of the winter wind, the kids are trudging to class in defiance of the weather, buttoned up and book bags in hand. Here, Kurelek showcases his skill at depicting palpable narratives of prairie life, almost certainly drawn from his own memories of trekking to school in the deep freeze of winter - and who can forget the feeling of snow blasting into your jacket, or the worry of losing your hat in a gust?