Lucia was born in Peru and moved to South Florida as a child. She showed an early talent for drawing and went on to study at the Department of Arts offered at her school, where at 17 she won an award for a pencil replica of Frida Kahlo's The Broken Column. Shortly after, she enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, where she spent 15 years as a boat mechanic. Throughout that time she continued to create art, designing station logos and painting murals, two of which remain in San Diego and two in Cape Canaveral.

After retiring from the Coast Guard she studied mechanical engineering at the University of South Florida and built a career in product development, creating 3D models and prototypes for inventors. She has also spent years designing and building furniture by hand. Both practices continue alongside her painting, out of her home studio in St. Petersburg.

Lucia came to oil paint while returning to portrait drawing. A friend's father gave her a box of oils, and the medium held her attention in a way others hadn’t, the physical process of working in layers, the way paint reads differently depending on how it's applied and how much time has passed. She has painted in oils since. Her subjects range from the figure to animals, still life, and landscape. She is currently deepening her engagement with the St. Petersburg arts community as a full-time artist.