I guess I will define 'artist' to include writers, since writing and reading are my favourite sorts of art. And, here comes the highbrow admission, I think Stephen King is my favourite writer.

I read the classics, the craptastics, and everything in between. Some are flowery and gorgeous, some are bare bones.

For me, the test of a good story is just that - the writer needs to spin a good yarn. I need to care about the characters. I like meat. Stephen King gives me all of that and more.