Don't Give up on a painting

I painted this picture of Helenium and was not happy with it. I felt it had no impact, but was not sure what was wrong. I was going to throw the painting away, but decided to put it out of sight until I could decide why it didn't work.

I got it out a couple of months later and realised that I needed more contrast between light and dark. I added neutral tint to the background and darker shadows on the leaves using midnight green. I also added more shadows to the flowers using Vandyke brown. Looks better. 

If you are not happy with something you produce, put it out of sight. When you look at it again with fresh eyes, things jump out at you, and you will be able to tell what is wrong with it.