Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1950, Petterson grew up in Saskatoon where he lived and worked as a professional musician for many years before becoming interested in art. He moved to the West Coast of Canada in 1970 where he eventually concentrated his efforts on visual art.
Petterson has worked in various mediums such as wood, metal, and plastic, both in two and three dimensions. He has created installations, performance, film and kinetic work involving music composition, sets and choreography.