Fine artist portraying ladies' fingers (4)
I believe the answer is:
okra
'ladies' fingers' is the definition.
(ladies' fingers is a name for the okra plant)
'fine artist' is the wordplay.
'fine' becomes 'ok' (synonyms).
'artist' becomes 'RA' (Royal Academician, member of Royal Academy of Arts).
'ok'+'ra'='OKRA'
'portraying' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for okra that I've seen before include "Lady's fingers; gumbo; bhindi" , "Tropical plant with edible pods" , "Pod eaten in soups, stews etc" , "vegetable dish" , "Ladies' fingers with edible pods" .)