Artist joins circle with hesitation (6)
I believe the answer is:
turner
'artist' is the definition.
(painter JMW Turner)
'circle with hesitation' is the wordplay.
'circle' becomes 'turn'.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'hesitation' becomes 'er' (sound made while hesitating - um, er).
'turn'+'er'='TURNER'
'joins' is the link.
(Other definitions for turner that I've seen before include "craftsperson" , "JMW ------, English artist renowned for his land- and sea-scapes" , "Painter of seascapes" , "J. M. W. -, English eighteenth to nineteenth century painter" , "He painted Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway" .)