Just a quick 2cents-- I do prefer the tighter composition, and I think your palette of pinks and mauves, combined with Gillian's expression as she looks up from her book, draw the viewer in.
However, I do like the idea of portraiture backing up and setting the figure in a larger interior or landscape.
Do you work with thumbnails sketches first? It's something I try to remember to do before starting a painting--very difficult because I really like to jump right in.
