David George Keeton was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He received a scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute after high school, where Wilbur Niewald and Leland Bell had a significant impact on his artistic development. After receiving an MFA degree from Washington University in St. Louis, he then taught at the University of Pittsburg before moving to New York City in 1974, where he currently resides.
In New York City, he was influenced by the Op Art movement and the exhibition "The Responsive Eye" at the Museum of Modern Art, which contributed to the evolution of his work from figurative to abstract and pattern-based, focusing on visual effects and intricate patterns, some of which require months to complete. His work is characterized by line, shape, and pattern, often influenced by Japanese prints and Chinese paintings.
Keeton has never sought to teach people how to see, but rather attempts to draw viewer attention that creates a lasting impression.