Experimentation, Going Big and Cemetery Paintings

I've been working on three biggish paintings in my studio here in Vermont. They are all of cemeteries. The one below is about 23" x 32" and is a cemetery in the winter.

I've been experimenting with oil sticks, which I really like, and mushing them about also with bristle brushes, which I don't normally use very much. The application is much thicker than I'm used to creating, but I'm also keeping areas thin and transparent.

Below is the second cemetery painting which is 28" x 46".  That's not a house but a chapel. The important thing about this painting for me is the atmosphere and mood. It's painted very softly with a lot of gamsol in a watercolor-y way. It was fun to do the tone with acrylic.  Because these paintings are for me and for my own experimentation and enjoyment, I've been using a little bit of a cheaper canvas, and gesso-ing myself to save money and to lower the pressure for myself in the inevitable cases I screw up or end up not liking the finished product.