American artist (8)
I believe the answer is:
whistler
'american artist' is the definition.
(painter James McNeill Whistler)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for whistler that I've seen before include "American artist who painted his mother, d. 1903" , "American-born Victorian artist" , "old kettle, say" , "James ---, Rex ---, artists" , "He used canvas" .)