Is having "a past" always refering to a bad history?

Solution 1:

Well, saying "a past" isn't the same as saying "a painter's past."

If I say, "He has a past" (see def. 11), that is taken as a euphemism to convey he has a history that I think is shameful or at the very least contains elements that I deem unfit for polite conversation.

But if I throw the modifier "painter's" in there, that changes the whole meaning. By saying "painter's past" (see def. 8), I'd sound like I'm saying he's a photographer that comes to the vocation with a background of having previously been a painter, i.e., someone engaged in the fine art of painting. It sounds like I'm suggesting his photos are affected by that, like have an air of being paintings.

All of that said, because artists, especially painters, often get stereotyped as living la vie Bohème, I can't say that there wouldn't be some people who might infer from "a painter's past" that he also has "a past," possibly inferring that he lived the stereotypical artist lifestyle while a painter.