Jack McLean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and graduated with an MFA from the Glasgow School of Art. He has lived and worked in Tokyo since 1993.

His work is inspired by observations of the absurdity, ugliness, and beauty of everyday life, and spans drawing, painting, sculpture, and performance. He specializes in miniature oil paintings of vintage British and American motorbikes and their associated subcultures, including Rockers and Hells Angels. He also creates short animation sequences based on notebook drawings, as well as miniature oil paintings of landscapes and castles inspired by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796).

His most recent overseas exhibition, A Thousand Rockers One Fuckin Bike!, was held at the Ace Cafe, Rockers Reunion in London in 2023.