Alexander McNeish was born at Bo'ness, near Linlithgow on the Firth of Forth, Scotland, the son of a coal miner.
[1] He attended Edinburgh College of Art from 1952 to 1957[2] studying under John Maxwell.
[3] In 1960 he exhibited with Albert Irvin at Galerie Im Griechenbeisl.
[4] In 1963, 10 of his lino prints illustrated a Gael Turnbull book of poetry called A Very Particular Hill, a lino cut of his also illustrated a William McGonagall poem in the British periodical Poor.
[8] McNeish was one of a group of heavy drinking Scottish art teachers known as the "Scottish Mafia"[1] or "Scotia Nostra".