I have to use these colors - but I don't like them - plz help

[Linda Brandon]

Hi Ant,

Here's what I was thinking... there is a lot of fabric draping around in this painting. I'm wondering if you can soften or even turn those drapery folds in the background into abstact shapes? Harley Brown does this frequently in his brightly hued paintings.

I know you were asking for color help, but my gut reaction to this painting (besides greying down the color and softening the edges furthest from the face) was to eliminate some of those folds in the background.