The background is important, maybe VERY important
In my pastel "Garden Heartbeats" I did a gouache underpainting to give the background some of the depth and chaos of flowers growing in a garden. I lightly drew my pansies in, then just sort of randomly played with that background, applying soft pastel over parts, leaving parts untouched. The only thing I really planned ahead of time was the light and dark areas. Everything else came about because I'd put a color down, or a shape or directional line then think, I wonder how {blue} {violet}{orange} would look {against} {over} that? The collector who bought the original said she just kept going back to that background and thinking and feeling joyful. That comment, even more than the sale made all the time I spent on this background worthwhile to me. Do you plan your floral backgrounds, leave the background simple or ??? I'd love to know the thought processes other botanical artists use.
What that collector said about your background giving her joy, that's everything. The fact that you experimented in the moment, asking yourself what if I tried this color here, what if I layered that, it shows in the depth and energy of the piece. I love hearing about the spontaneous choices that end up mattering most to the people who live with the work.
Thanks for that Bill. I love sharing!