Support for an artist and comfort to many (5)
I believe the answer is:
easel
'support for an artist' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'comfort to many' is the wordplay.
'comfort' becomes 'ease' (synonyms).
'to many' becomes 'l' ().
'ease'+'l'='EASEL'
'and' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for easel that I've seen before include "Support for 12's [ARTIST]" , "Artist's canvas suppot" , "board support" , "Artistic support" , "the rest of the paintwork" .)