McAn received a Bachelor of Arts degree from North Texas State University in 1982, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Texas in 1991. McAn is currently Head of Membership and Special Events at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth (since 1994).
From shredding of personal documents to create a pulp medium for canvas, or more recently a personal concern that our natural landscapes have been modified by consumer product containers, whereupon the artist tried to recycle the landscape from its destroyed source, McAn has used personal experience as a launching off point for his work.
As explained by McAn “Recently I have been examining my own behavior while I move through my day to day life, especially where I am looking when not engrossed in a task. One facet of that examination focuses on travel, which is a significant part of my work life. In past times, I would take lots of pretty pictures of the places I experienced. But over the years, that has transitioned. I am now most interested in the passing glances. And I have found that much of my experiences are influenced by a system of actions. They are these passing glances while Looking Up, Looking Down, or Looking Through. My mixed media paintings try to replicate that experience.”