For the background I would bring some of the colours from the figure into the background e.g. burnt sienna and blue, also move a bit of the blue into the hair for cohesiveness, move the background easel and canvas away from its central and vertical position (even get rid of it altogether) and lose the sharp edges of those background objects. They need only be suggestions of studio furniture. The figure itself is the thing and I like it.
For the background I would bring some of the colours from the figure into the background e.g. burnt sienna and blue, also move a bit of the blue into the hair for cohesiveness, move the background easel and canvas away from its central and vertical position (even get rid of it altogether) and lose the sharp edges of those background objects. They need only be suggestions of studio furniture. The figure itself is the thing and I like it.
thank you philippa for the detailed comment. i’m going to pull it out and give it a go.