Conscious of wonder taking artist back (5)
I believe the answer is:
aware
'conscious of' is the definition.
(being conscious means being aware of something)
'wonder taking artist back' is the wordplay.
'wonder' becomes 'awe' (awe is a kind of wonder).
'taking' indicates putting letters inside.
'artist' becomes 'RA' (Royal Academician, member of Royal Academy of Arts).
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'ra' in reverse letter order is 'ar'.
'awe' going around 'ar' is 'AWARE'.
(Other definitions for aware that I've seen before include "Cognisant, mindful" , "Conscious, sentient" , "Cognizant" , "Having knowledge (of fact)" , "Having knowledge or realisation" .)