Having a good foundation of understanding of your craft is essential.  I was reminded of this while listening to my step-son play his guitar.  Beautiful melodies, interesting chords, abstract runs up and down the frets can be heard through out the house when Ethan is home.  However it wasn't long ago that he was working on the task of pushing one string down with enough pressure to get a clear note.  So far as I know there is no shortcut to playing the guitar.  Practice and study build knowledge.  Grasp the fundamentals before going on to advanced concepts.  I find the same application in oil painting.  The fundamentals: proper use of materials, color, composition, lighting, shadows, values form the painting,  As our knowledge increases we begin to add other elements of concern to the act of painting.  The awareness of edges, color temperature, highlights or the lack of highlights, surface texture, atmosphere, even the choice of subjects is effected by our progress.  In my workshops I stress "painting with understanding" because for so long I painted to make a "nice picture" without knowing how or why one painting was "nice" while another was "excellent".  When I viewed an especially interesting painting by another artist I would wish I had painted it instead of seeking to understand how the painting was made interesting.  (Has that ever happened to YOU?).  The desire to gain understanding of the "what and why" of oil painting is now as much a part of my work in the studio as is the act of making an oil painting with which I'm satisfied.  As my understanding increases my awareness of the yet unknown looms in front of me.  The more I know, or think I know, the more I realize I don't know.  Well, so much running off at the mouth.  I need to get to the easel.  Best wishes, Jerry