Returning artist gets stick for being abstruse (6)
I believe the answer is:
arcane
'being abstruse' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'returning artist gets stick' is the wordplay.
'returning' is a reversal indicator.
'artist' becomes 'RA' (Royal Academician, member of Royal Academy of Arts).
'gets' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'stick' becomes 'cane' (cane is a kind of stick).
'ra' back-to-front is 'ar'.
'ar'+'cane'='ARCANE'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for arcane that I've seen before include "Secret, hidden" , "Abstruse, mysterious" , "cryptic" , "Mysteriouss or secret" , "Mysterious - an acre (anag)" .)