 Born in Lochwinnoch in 1926, McClure graduated in the early 1950s from Edinburgh College of Art.In his early career he spent significant periods working in Spain, Italy, Sicily and later Norway.He spent the majority of professional life in Dundee where he lived with his wife and family and taught at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art (now part of the University of Dundee) from 1958 and spent the last two years of his career there as head of painting, a post he took over from his friend, colleague and fellow artist, Alberto Morrocco, before retiring in 1985.