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--- The challenge is that when I paint, I'm never trying to merely illustrate the identity of a particular flower or object, but more than anything, want to capture the illusion of form and the way the light falls across that object. When I say to visualize a flower as a solid shape that is similar (such as a cup or a bowl), I'm talking about being able to envision that solid object under the same lighting conditions as the flower and how that image will then translate into the finished painting. If the lighting is relatively simple and coming from just one source then the chances of describing light and form are greatly improved. On the other hand, if a bowl, a flower or whatever has multiple and equally strong light sources from different angles, that puts a serious strain on the limitations of our paints and even with a lot of skill and luck, it can result in a painting with less depth.

----the lilies you are working with have some abrupt color and value changes as opposed to being one solid color. This can make a surprising difference because some of the precious value range within our pigments ends up being used to describe those color differences at the expense of describing the light and shadow. In a nutshell, if I had been painting your arrangement instead of the lily study you are referring to, the result would not be likely to have the same feeling of light and form that I was able to capture. Creating conditions more favorable for me to be able to describe light and form is an important part of the process of arranging and lighting a set up. In some areas of a composition I might be willing to sacrifice depth for the sake of color changes but I usually wouldn't make that choice for the center of interest. 

 ---- Unfortunately it makes matters worse that most people are so enthusiastic about painting flowers. One would think that enthusiasm would translate into a better finished product but what I see more often is that students will rush and forget some of the lessons of patient observation. Flowers are such a popular subject that people underestimate how difficult they are to do in a skillful way. Many teachers will give students a formula or have them follow along as they paint but I'm not impressed by the results of that and don't really encourage anyone to try to learn in that way. I don't speak out on it often because it's a good way to make yourself unpopular very quickly but the 'paint-a-long' approach is more of an entertainment thing than a serious way to learn. While I commend you for setting up your own arrangement to look at as you also tried to follow what I was doing, I'm certain that only made the situation more frustrating because your concentration would have been scattered by trying to do two things at once. 

 ----The best path to getting good with flowers is to get really proficient at observing more solid objects and then keep trying to apply those lessons on light and shade to the far more complex issues involved in painting flowers. They are all the same thing but it can take a long time to assimilate that principle. There aren't any shortcuts that I know of but the hunt for an easy solution certainly trips up a lot of people. If you keep setting up your own arrangements and working from life while keeping your focus on improving your seeing skills, you will continue to make progress.

 ---- After all of these decades of painting I'm still amazed by what a difference small decisions can make and how important it is to have a solid concept of the general effect you hope to achieve. With the painters I study who manage to create a look of form and light, all are very aware of the limits of their materials and the importance of not squandering any of that power on things that don't enhance the overall objective.