The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PAINTING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
A
I
N
T
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result PAINTING
- Mental suffering can, leading to great piece of art
- Job for tradesman desperately keen to secure one
- Dad at home with metallic sound - work of art?
- Yearning to hold one work of art
- One eager to go outside is putting coat on
- Being short of breath inspires one picture
- Picture headless cartoon character in short episode
- Setter admitted to longing for creative work
- Constable, perhaps, catching breath, an individual collared
- Artistic work, popular element in retrospective opening
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Picture" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case picture = painting.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PAINTING mean?
PAINTING verb- To apply paint to.
- To apply in the manner that paint is applied.
- To cover (something) with spots of colour, like paint.
- To create (an image) with paints.
- To practise the art of painting pictures.
- To draw an element in a graphical user interface.
- To depict or portray.
- To color one's face by way of beautifying it.
- To direct a radar beam toward.
- An illustration or artwork done with the use of paint.
- The action of applying paint to a surface.
- The same activity as an art form.