Refers specifically to a person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or serious pursuit. While 'artist' is a broader term, in Japanese 画家 is strongly associated with painting.
彼は有名な画家です。
He is a famous painter.
その画家の展覧会に行ってきました。
I went to an exhibition of that painter's work.
He quit his company job and became a painter.
She works as a painter while also being a teacher.
He has aimed to become a painter since he was a child.
printmaker; woodblock artist; copperplate engraver
court painter