I think in most "barbaric" cultures, the line between "artist" and "craftsman" is pretty vague. Presumably, any devotee of a "craft" cult (smith, weaver, etc.) uses his skill to make the sword or basket or pot or house as beautiful as possible--but I don't think the culture would be rich enough to support someone who makes paintings just because they look pretty.
In more civilized cultures, like the Lunars and Malkioni, I would expect to find some full-time artists with their own special cults--but I wouldn't expect to see many such in Sartar or Prax. Storm Tribe & Thunder Rebels are giving you a skewed perspective, since they're set in savage lands.
I wonder, though--is there a particular cult that makes all those holy icons, or is each cult supposed to produce icons of its own god? If it's the latter, you might find artistic ability popping up in the strangest places--e.g. a Uroxi who uses his "Worship of Urox" skill to improvise a "make icon of Urox" skill?
--AMS
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