Peter Hutchinson was raised near Margate in rural England. Growing up in the country, he developed a love and knowledge of plants. Hutchinson received his BFA from the University of Illinois in 1960 and moved to New York the following year. Hutchinson has received numerous awards including a Walter Guttman Foundation Grant (1966), a National Endowment for the Arts Grant (1975-76) and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (1989). He is a keen gardener and his garden in Provincetown MA is registered as a wildlife habitat.