David McClure graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1953 after which travelling scholarships took him to Spain and Italy and were followed by the Andrew Grant Fellowship Award, which allowed him to paint in Florence and Sicily. In 1957, he took up a teaching post at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee where he taught alongside Alberto Morrocco until his retiral in 1983. During his career, he exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and his work is very much sought after.