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Jane,
I think this a generally well painted portrait of an interesting subject. This, however could be improved with a color adjustments overall, especially regarding the background, the blue is way too strong. It also need to be modified so it has more gradient from lighter to darker.
When deciding on a color design for a painting, you have to consider, will it be a complementary, monochromatic or an analogous color scheme. These are often best worked out from the get go. You have the problem of a rather yellow orange face competing with a cool pink shirt and sharp turquiose accents. The blue background is to sharp to complement the face and fighs with the pink and turquiose, making for an unharmonious total.
The cool red calls for a dull warm grey green as a complementary background, the skintone, a dull blue grey and so on. I would suggest you do a color study to resolve these issues before you embark on a finished work. It will save you a lot of time and angst.
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