Comparing Different Painting Methods, Colors, Feeling, and Stories - SOLD

I have painted and posted several different painting styles of the same scenes. Today I thought it would interesting to compare these two pieces of the American River at the Watt Avenue Bridge.
The brush work in the first example was completed last year onsite at the American River. You can see there is a lot of green in this painting. To me it has a sense of calmness.
It has a nice memory to it. Another artist friend, Trude,  and I spent the morning at this site painting together.  She was drawing and using watercolors and I had my oils. It was a gorgeous day and  fly fishermen were wading in the river.  There was a golden retriever playing in the water.

On Site Plein Air Brush Painting On Linen - SOLD

The palette knife was completed in my studio yesterday where I changed the color to an autumn theme. There is a lot of oranges and yellows. It has movement and excitement.  I was toasty warm inside my condo while it was cloudy and cool outside. I was sipping hot chocolate and happy to be painting. Again, nice memory associated to this work.

Studio Palette Knife Painting on Board  - SOLD

So the question is which do you like better? What influences your preference? Is it the brush or the palette knife?  Are you more influenced by the colors, the feelings, or perhaps the stories when you look at the paintings? For example,  my husband Gerry has a preference towards palette knife paintings.  He was immediately drawn to the vibrating autumn colors in the second painting.  I am drawn to the brush work painting.  I like the stillness.