Alexander "Mac" McNeish (1932-2000) AN EXTRAVAGANT and innovative figure of the Edinburgh art scene in the sixties, Alexander McNeish earned a reputation as a hell-raiser and a rebel in life and in art. Born in Bo'ness, the son of a coal miner, he studied painting at Edinburgh College of Art between 1952 and 1957. On leaving college he wasted no time in establishing himself as a leading Scottish artist with a series of exhibitions in the 57 Gallery, the Scottish Gallery and the Stone Gallery in Newcastle. While attending a seminar in American Studies in Salzburg in 1960, he met and became great friends with Bert Irvin, a London-based painter. "Mac" invited Irvin to stage an exhibition at the 57 Gallery. It marked a turning point in Irvin's career and the two developed a life-long friendship. McNeish played a extraordinary role as an exhibitions organiser, staging shows in disused shops and offices. Like many Scottish artists, including Tommy Watt and Bill Gear, he headed south and began teaching at Wolverhampton College of art in 1962, before becoming head of painting at Exeter College of Art in 1965, a position he held for 15 years. The hard-core of Scottish art teachers became known as the "Scottish Mafia". Alex McNeish was a passionate painter and communicator whose best work combined vibrant colour with spontaneity of brush mark and image.