Ed Templeton is an American artist and professional skateboarder and artist. His paintings are influenced by the suburban culture of Southern California, and employ a flat comic book-like style to depict front lawns and one-eyed mutants. While his black-and-white photographs often capture everyday events and behind the scenes aspects of the skateboarding industry and his personal life. “I’m definitely one of those people who takes his camera with him every day. The times that I’ve left the house without a camera are when the best stuff always happens—it’s like Murphy’s Law,” he explained. “So, part of my routine is to always have a camera and be out in the mix.” Born on July 28, 1972 in Huntington Beach, CA, he became involved in skateboarding as a youth after seeing Mark Gonzales riding down the street and following him to a skate shop. Templeton became a professional skateboarder in 1990, and founded his company Toy Machine in 1994. During his early years as a pro skateboarder, he began taking photographs of his friends and peers while going on tours around the world. This hobby developed into an important part of his life through the following decades. He continues to live and work in Huntington Beach, CA. Today, Templeton's works are held in the collections of the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, the Sammlung Goetz in Munich, and the Zabludowicz Collection in London, among others.