In the 1980s he changed his style into a form of abstract expressionism influenced by Native American and tribal cultures as well as outsider art.
Drawing inspiration from outsider and tribal art, Havard stands within a tradition that includes such notable artists as Paul Gauguin, Cy Twombly, Jean Dubuffet, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Joseph Beuys.
[6] Havard was married three times: Charlotte Liles (1958–1961), Elizabeth "Buffie" Corson Beardsley (1965–1974),[7] and Catherine Bruni (1985–1989).
[9] By the late 1970s Havard was considered one of the founders of abstract illusionism along with Al Held, Jack Lembeck, John Clem Clarke, George D. Green, and Tony King.
[14] He moved to Santa Fe in 1989 where he continued to develop his style, ultimately freeing himself from all references to abstract illusionism.
"[16] Havard began to use an encaustic medium that allowed him to incise the surface of the painting which gave them a carved, luminous appearance.
[15][20] Due to Havard's limited mobility, his later works are small in scale, but "are nonetheless extremely powerful, perhaps even more so because the reduced format concentrates them.