McClure grew up in
Kirkland, Washington. She moved to Olympia in 1986 to attend
The Evergreen State College where she studied
natural history and received B.S. and B.A. degrees in 1991. She would take walks in the forest, making up songs and singing them loudly; sometimes performing them at house shows. She sang onstage during the August 1991
International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, and one of her songs was included on the vinyl edition of the
Convention's live album. McClure rented a studio near
K Records and experimented with
linocuts. Following her graduation, she took a job at the
Washington Department of Ecology. There she created her first children's book,
Wetlands. The 1992 publication by the Washington State Department of Ecology remained in print until 2015, and (as of 2017) remains available in PDF form. McClure creates papercuts using an
X-Acto knife in a style partially inspired by
Works Progress Administration posters. Beginning in 1998, McClure began producing an annual calendar. She has authored and illustrated a number of children's books. McClure allows non-profits to use her work with permission and has created works for
Patagonia, Olykraut, and
Slow Food Nation. Her children's book about
farmers' markets,
To Market, To Market, won the 2012 Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. ==Personal life==