James F. Hutchinson

James Frederick Hutchinson (1932 – March 15, 2023) was an American oil painter. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life Hutchinson was born in 1932. He moved to Florida from New York in the early 1940s.

In 1947, Hutchinson began visiting A.E. Backus, Hutchinson's brother-in-law A. E. "Beanie" Backus, who was married to Hutchinson's sister Patsy, and started painting along his side. Backus and Hutchinson were very close friends in the late 1940s and remained so for their continued careers. They traveled to Jamaica and all over the Florida coast, painting many beautiful landscapes back to back.

During the 1950s Korean War, Hutchinson joined the Navy and was stationed in Guam. He spent his service drawing cartoons for the Stars and Stripes newspaper. After the Navy, he moved back to Vero and began working for Waldo E. Sexton at McKee Botanical Garden and Driftwood Inn and Restaurant. He met his wife Joan while attending Florida State University.

In 2021, Hutchinson returned to the Island of Hawaii where he continued his passion for painting. He died while painting at his easel on March 15, 2023, at the age of 90.