Lucia Ritacco was born on the Adriatic coast in the Abruzzo region of Italy. She grew up in Westchester County, New York, and studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. After college, she worked in New York City in the garment industry. At the present time she lives and paints in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Inspired by 19th century portraitists and contemporary figurative artists, Lucia paints primarily in a realistic style. Her own portraits and figurative works allude subtly to societal and cultural challenges. She has shown her work in Michigan at the Atelier School of Art (Royal Oak), the Scarab Club (Detroit), Michigan Fine Arts Competition (Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center) and the Lawrence Street Gallery (Ferndale).