Born and raised in Manhattan, Addeo has been active in the Central Florida art scene since she moved to Orlando in 1972. Her interest in art grew from a need for excitement and a desire to find "more than what was obvious" within her surroundings.

Although she has an academic art education and was trained as a realistic painter, Addeo feels more comfortable creating abstract works, such as Manhattan Memory circa 1939. "The test of a good painting," according to Addeo, "is making a statement in black and white. With all of the color stripped away, a good composition will still show up. Color can detract from the foundation of the painting." In her monumental black-and-white composition, Addeo depicts the scene that loomed outside her window in Manhattan when she was a child. "The flat-iron building wouldn’t be the same now," she says. The crosses at the bottom of the canvas represent the 2nd Avenue elevated subway, as it looked from Addeo’s rooftop-perspective. "The purpose of art," asserts Addeo, "is to relate a pleasant personal memory for other people to enjoy, without getting too philosophical."

[artist biography by Sydney Pettus;artist photograph by Mitchell Parizer]