Like most wildlife artists, Linda was enchanted with animals at an early age. However, vivid childhood memories of her great uncle and his African hunting stories gave her an immediate sense of the adventure one experiences when exploring wild animals and places. Linda was drawn to the outdoors through her geology bachelor's degree from Colgate University, followed with a Master of Science degree, which enabled her to get into the backcountry of Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana.

She is a self-taught artist and from field sketches, small field paintings, and her photographs, Linda creates 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. She lives with her husband on acreage outside of Spokane and is surrounded by deer, wild turkey, grouse, quail, coyote, and the occasional moose and mountain lion.

To research her animals and habitat, Linda has been to 26 countries including Iceland, where she revisited her love of geology as well as explored arctic bird life.

Besse is a Signature Member of the Society of Animals Artists. Her paintings have been in Birds in Art the last 6 years, in Arts for the Parks, and she has won the 2005 Best of Show - Miniature and the 2007 Best of Show (overall) at NatureWorks in Tulsa, OK. Linda's work can be found in private and corporate collections on three continents.