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There is a big difference between painting from memory and painting from imagination.
I too do as Mr. Lack sugests after a life painting session. When the model leaves I adjust things to make them look right without being biased by the model. I remember what I have been looking at and proceed based on my recollections. This would involve mostly manipulation of values, edges and subtlties to get the spacial aspects more in tune with what I'm trying to present to my viewer. My intention would be to make the painting read better. I consider this memory painting.
However if I were to paint a portrait from my recollection of an old friend I would consider this to be painting from my imagination and not my memory.
I have an exercise I give my students after thev've been working from the model all day (5+ hours). I tell them to do a drawing of the model when they get home from their memory. Invariably, the areas of the painting they had trouble with would be the parts that were unclear or troublesome in the drawing.
One's lack of understanding, which is most essential aspect of drawing I believe, is always the culprit. It's a great exercise.
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