We Thrive in the Wastelands, Norco, Hand-signed

Ed Templeton (b. 1972) is an American professional skateboarder, visual artist, and photographer whose work has indelibly shaped youth culture and contemporary art. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s and turned pro by 1990, shortly before graduating high school. In 1993, he founded Toy Machine, a skate company celebrated for its distinctive, cartoonish deck graphics—and which he continues to lead today. His impact on the sport was formally recognized with his induction into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2016.

Parallel to his skate career, Templeton has cultivated a distinctive artistic voice through photography, painting, drawing, and mixed-media. Using his touring life as raw material, he captured candid, emotionally charged moments of youth—teenage romance, subcultural rebellion, and everyday banality—earning him acclaim from both art critics and skate communities alike.

Templeton's photographic projects, including Teenage Smokers (2000) and Wires Crossed (2023), chronicle the unvarnished reality of life on the road, complete with handwritten captions that lend intimacy and grit. His exhibitions, such as “The Spring Cycle,” blend painting, drawing, and photo-based composite techniques to explore themes like suburban disquiet and cultural contradiction.