Painter's awful ear injury (7)
I believe the answer is:
raeburn
'painter's' is the definition.
(Sir Henry Raeburn)
'awful ear injury' is the wordplay.
'awful' is an anagram indicator.
'injury' becomes 'burn' (burn is a kind of injury).
'ear' anagrammed gives 'rae'.
'rae'+'burn'='RAEBURN'
(Other definitions for raeburn that I've seen before include "Scottish artist" , "Agony aunt" .)