Linda Besse
United States
Drawn to the outdoors through her geology bachelor's degree from Colgate University, followed with a Geology Master of Science degree, artist Linda Besse has traveled to almost the ends of the earth to gather reference for her oil paintings. She has been to all seven continents and has traversed remote tundra in Labrador researching the caribou migration, been dropped off by float plane to salmon-filled streams to watch grizzly bears in Alaska, paddled a canoe 459 miles above the Arctic Circle, and snorkeled with wild beluga whales in Hudson Bay.
Linda works from her field sketches, small field paintings and her photographs to create a composition designed to reflect the inherent artistry of nature. Painting exclusively in oil because she likes its luminosity, depth, and intensity of color, Linda uses a mostly wet-on-wet technique to capture the immediacy of the image.
Most of her subjects are wildlife, but Linda enjoys stretching her brushes with western, museum, and cathedral paintings.
Linda is a member of the International Guild of Realism and the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, and a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists and Oil Painters of America. In addition to winning numerous award, her work hangs in homes and offices on five continents. Linda lives in the country surrounded by deer, wild turkey, grouse, quail, coyote, and the occasional moose, bear, and mountain lion.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
