Who I am
I grew up in Washington in a close-knit family where faith and time together were always central. My grandfather was our pastor and my grammy taught my cousins and me in Sunday school, so church and family gatherings shaped a lot of my early life. That sense of community and connection is something I’ve carried with me ever since.
Soccer was another constant growing up—I started playing when I was three years old and continued all the way through college at Whitworth University, where I played Division III. During my senior year, I made the decision to study abroad for the year, which ended up being one of the most influential experiences of my life. While abroad, I was able to keep playing some soccer, but I also immersed myself in studying art and architecture.
Living in Florence changed the way I see the world. Surrounded by history and incredible works of art, I developed a deep appreciation for the masters—especially Caravaggio, whose dramatic use of light and emotion continues to inspire me. Florence is also where I had what I jokingly call my “wine epiphany”—I completely fell in love with wine and the culture around it.
Creativity has always been a big part of who I am. I majored in art and minored in psychology, and I’m constantly drawn to anything creative—painting, reading, traveling, or simply spending time outdoors. Two of my favorite places to paint are Florence and my parents’ home at Lake Chelan, especially when the sun is shining and the lake is shimmering.
Today I live in Boise, but I still carry the influences of where I’ve been—from my family and upbringing to soccer, art, travel, and the moments of inspiration that shape how I see the world.
Artists Bio
Mac Minnick was raised in a family of artists, but never truly unpacked her artistic flow until college. She attended Whitworth University where she originally went to study psychology, and play soccer. In her second year of college, she had a realization that she did not want to become a physicologist or therapist. Her parents encouraged her to take some art classes as her mother studied art in college as well and there she found a new passion, oil painting. She took many classes for her newly found major her third year of college, but halfway through decided she was going to finish her last year of college abroad. She quit soccer and chose to go across the seas to one of the best places for art, Florence, Italy.
She improved more and more in every piece that she created and started to become recognized by others. While in Italy, she was offered two opportunities to attend graduate school in the center of Florence but decided to not attend and come back to America.
Mac is a social butterfly who loves to connect with people and believes that every person is unique and special. Although she does paint some still life, she prefers to paint people, specifically women, because of their beauty and emotions. She wants her paintings to connect and reside with the viewers. For them to understand and feel the emotions that the women in her paintings display. Studying psychology has helped Mac understand other people’s emotions on a higher level than before. This has had an impact on her art within the last couple of years.
Her career as an artist started to take off during her Senior year of college when multiple business owners saw her artwork and asked for commissions. One of her paintings can be found at a restaurant in Florence, Italy called Il Teatro Ristorante Pizzeria and the AIFS Study abroad Florence campus.
Many other works are currently on display for sale at a winery in Arezzo, Italy called Pomaio where she was offered a consignment for her work.
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