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This 'Letters to Students' blog post is composed of replies to real people who were studying with me at the time. They have been lightly edited, mostly for clarity.

Sorry to hear of the frustrations and I do know how discouraging that can be. I can't say for sure what is going on or or how to break out of it but you will eventually. Funny thing about depending on luck is that it's more likely to happen when you're not hoping or expecting it to show up. Artists often call these angst-filled moments 'growth spurts' but who knows? All I can say for sure is that you aren't alone. As for the correcting--my advice is this; If you can retrace your steps and go back to some initial notes that you are content with then I think it's ok to keep working. If you are randomly adjusting things and you have no good point of reference then start a new study because at that point trying to continually correct is like a squirrel chasing it's tail. 

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What I would recommend is working from life rather than photos if that is at all possible. Much of what I talk about will make more sense if you are seeing things through your own eyes rather than the camera's. Also, it's a persistent myth that I expect everyone to use a knife to paint with. It really makes no difference to me. I only talk about using knife because I get lots of questions about it but there are more important things to focus on--namely values. With your description though, I can see how it might foster more deliberate and definite choices with paint mixtures, so in that sense it would be a good discipline. If you can paint with a brush in the same manner it's just as good.

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I do finishing touches on paintings when dry but rarely rework large areas. If the paint has 'sunk in' I spray a light layer of retouch varnish to bring up the color some. I see people who do keep reworking and getting more atmosphere etc. but I usually lose more of the conversation between the objects the longer I tinker with things. Plus I just don't enjoying the finishing process as much. Even so, any touches I make never seem like they look quite right to me until those touches have also dried so its always something I have to keep in mind during the final stages.

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I would encourage you to continue with more finished out pieces like this but also to do quick studies as well. Small color notes are a wonderful exercise, with just one note for the light and one for the shadow on each object, but always aiming for a consistent overall look of light. Also try some objects lighter in value as there is more form to work with and it gives me a better idea of where you are at. 

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The chaos you describe is I'm sure unsettling but not a surprise to me. I don't know if the struggle we have in learning to see is truly one side of our brain against the other but just for conversation purposes those are the common terms ( right brain, left brain) used to illustrate this push and pull you are experiencing. My advice is this--keep your focus on the results you are pleased with and what is helping to make that happen. The other knowledge you have accumulated will all be of use eventually as good painting requires both types of knowledge. The trick is getting the mix right and knowing when to get your brain out of its own way. For example--I will use my right brain to get the notes of a bottle correctly and carry that as far as I can-- then bring the left side in later to help make the bottle appear symmetrical. Like learning to balance , steer and pedal a bicycle all at once--it will get easier --especially now that you know how it feels. 

This 'Letters to Students' blog post is composed of replies I wrote to real people who were studying with me at the time. They have been lightly edited, mostly for clarity.

      Probably the best hint I could give you to stay on track is to get in the habit of consistently using a black mirror to make accurate value comparisons. (Value is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color.) I talk about this in a number of places within the online course https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/laura-robb-online-art-workshop-self-study  but specifically in 'Recognizing shapes and the black mirror' in Module 1. They are very easy to make with a small inexpensive glass frame --just take the glass out and put something black behind it or paint one side black with any kind of paint that will stick . Then when dry (if you're using paint), put it back together or tape to a piece of cardboard so that it's easy to handle and no light is coming through. Anything that creates a black reflective surface will work.

       Basically it is just a tool for helping to establish good value relationships--which may be the most difficult problem we have as painters. In order to make these comparisons easily it will be best if you can see the reflection of your painting and your set up in the mirror at the same time. If that isn't possible then tilt the mirror side to side so that you can easily compare your canvas to the set up. What you are looking for is whether your painting has the same value relationships as the set up --so if a stroke or note of paint on your canvas looks lighter or darker in comparison to what its around it than what you are seeing in the reflection of the set up, then that means it needs some adjusting. It's better to correct the note as soon as you spot it because that will prevent you from relating off of that incorrect value and compounding the error. At first it will be disconcerting to learn how far off your perceptions are but by relying on this simple tool , eventually the eye can be trained to see values in a much more accurate way.