Scott Addis was born and raised in a rural community south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He now lives in Montreal with his family. His first teacher was his father, who took him to the Laurel Mountains to hunt and fish. It was with him that he spent his early hours sketching and drawing nature and photographs he had taken in the mountains near his home.

As a young adult, Addis joined the U.S. Navy and later settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. There, he took classes in drawing, composition, and painting. He studied at the University of Cincinnati, where he was mentored by local artist Greg Storer, and took classes at the Cincinnati Art Club. As a student, Addis was inspired by the works of George Inness, Joseph Mallard, William Turner, James McNeil Whistler, Claude Monet, and others. He drew from works he enjoyed at the Cincinnati Art Museum and from real life.

Addis began his professional career at Rottinghaus Gallery in Cincinnati, and later at Clossons Cincinnati, one of the most prolific and well-known galleries in the American Midwest. Since then, his career has blossomed, and he is now represented in excellent galleries throughout North America.