The first snow of the season reflects on the surface of a high alpine lake. Capturing an image like this depends heavily on timing, and Walls reached this location just before the lake froze over completely. Wind is also an important factor; there must be enough of a breeze to create the abstraction, but not so much that it becomes impossible to see the outlines of the trees lining the lake’s rim. This piece features subtle rather than saturated colors and tones, combining soft grays, whites, and greens that translate visually the quiet serenity of the woods. Alpine Modern clearly shows the influence of Jackson Pollock and the Impressionists, whom Walls admires for both their compositions and their grand scale.