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You've introduced an interesting topic, Timothy. I'm not sure what other artists on this site do, but as a student of painting, I paint "stuff" every day. Or draw stuff. In the hands of a master, even still lifes tell a story.
I'm sure others on this site also paint landscapes, set up still lifes, paint cafe scenes, but because this is a portraiture site, portraits are what get posted. In other words, I don't think the professional painters here focus exclusively on portraiture.
Regarding the amateur, or the serious beginner, you're right if you're saying the most important thing is to paint, and that the way to learn how to paint stuff is to set up stuff and paint it. That seems like the most direct route to me.
Critiques generally focus on very basic lessons on form, edges, light, paint-handling, etc, and the the quickest way to learn these lessons is to start with the simple stuff. Set up a still life of two eggs and an apple, and render it in pencil or charcoal. Yes, I think quite a few of us could back up and study the basics for quite some time before we tackle complex forms like the human form. Quite a few of us need to backtrack and explore value and form before we take on color.
To other artists in my position, do not dismiss this as boring or remedial work. The other day I looked at the piece of sharpened charcoal in my hand and thought, what an incredibly sexy and powerful tool this simple object can be!
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