Don McCarten was one of the Washington Color School painters. Working with a strong palette, he experimented with shaped canvas. McCarten returned to one of his 60's shaped canvases at the end of his life exploring it in many variations.

Don McCarten was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. He studied at the Elam School of Art in Auckland and the Central School of Art in London. McCarten traveled and painted in Australia, England, Europe and South Africa. He immigrated to the U.S.A in 1958 arriving with $1,000 in his pocket with the intention of making his way as an artist.

In the l960's and early 70's, he exhibited along with Jacob Kainen, Howard Mehring, William de Looper, Paul Reed and Gene Davis. His work was shown at the Gallery of Modern Art, the Corcoran, and the Smithsonian Institution. The Esther Stuttman Gallery represented him in Washington D.C.

McCarten's works during the 60's and 70's were based on his love of abstract shape, surface, and color. He painted intensely until his death in 2003, which happened while he was running.