The latest exhibition in the Mayer/Reed Gallery features the work of Charles “Chuck” Hayden (1927–2024), an advertising illustrator, educator and artist—and relative and early inspiration to Mayer/Reed Associate Debbie Shaw.

“I knew him as my mom’s crazy cousin from New York, but we called him Uncle Chuck,” says Shaw. “Always the unconformist, stepping out of line, testing the boundaries, trying to squeeze a tasty bit of life out of every moment, Chuck wrote his own story and inspired us to do the same.”

The three-part series presents selections from the countless sketchbooks Chuck filled throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The pages were not intended as finished works, but as quick studies of composition, light, color and figures that could later inform paintings and illustrations. The exhibition explores three recurring themes in his life and work: his Western roots and love of cowboys and horses, his career in the New York advertising industry and his lifelong practice of figure drawing.

Through these sketchbook pages, the series offers a glimpse into the curiosity, creativity and unconventional spirit that defined Chuck’s life and work.