Ricky Needham born September 14, 1955 in Winston Salem, NC. He was the third of seven children. He and his siblings lived in foster homes for part of their childhood apparently due to an accident that left his parents unable to properly care for them for awhile. However, he was able to maintain a close relationship with his parents during his childhood years.
His family recognized very early in his life that he had learning disabilities and his parents and guardian assured that he was placed in special education classes throughout his elementary and high school education. While he was treated as a normal child in his family setting, he did endure mistreatment and verbal abuse from other children regarding his speech impediment and disabilities. He began to draw as a child and continued in high school on any material found laying about designing his images of hot rod cars and trucks.

Following high school he worked in a bakery, a textile mill, at Goodwill Industries and finally at a sheltered workshop program called Forsyth Industrial Systems. A counselor in the program befriended Ricky and when he became aware of a more supportive program for gifted artists with developmental disabilities at Signature Home, Western Carolina Center, Morganton, NC, he helped him apply. In 1994 joined Signatur Studio XI. Here he worked with other challenged but gifted artists like Harold Crowell, Laura McNellis, and Brooks Yeomans who shared a dedication to their art, a compelling inner need to express themselves, and an extraordinary creative talent.

Signature provided spaces to work, art supplies, tools, equipment, special technical assistance, and an environment rich with support and encouragement. While Ricky Needham had been creating his fantasy paintings and drawings of cars, figures, and surreal landscapes for a number of years, here he flourished and his art gained attention through the promotional efforts of the director and the staff of Signature.
The drawings by Needham all feature the naked or scantily clad, long-limbed figures that this, self-taught artist favors, along with assorted cars and aircraft, turreted castles, amusement-park rides, and the occasional smiling bird or winged insect. His nude “love buddies” are sensual but not necessarily sexual. His cars fly thru the air with ease speeding along but not endangering. His is a fantasy world that is exciting but at peace.

After several years, Ricky has left Signature house and lives with his sister in Winston. He continues to work in a studio there.

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