n.
  - a person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby. 
▸a person who practises or performs any of the creative arts.
 - informal a habitual practitioner of a specified activity:
 a con artist.
 
 
  Derivative
  
  Etymology
  C16: from Fr. artiste, from Ital. artista, from arte ‘art’, from L. ars, art-.