Ed Templeton (born July 28, 1972) [1]is an American professional skateboarder, contemporary artist, and photographer.

[citation needed] He left New Deal in 1992 to initiate two short-lived companies, "TV" and "Television" (both with professional skateboarder, Mike Vallely).

[9] Following the demise of both TV and television, Templeton founded Toy Machine in 1994, after skateboarding entrepreneur Tod Swank agreed to support the idea.

[8]In a January 2013 article, by Andrew Reilly for The Huffington Post, the ethos behind Toy Machine (or, the company's full name: "Toy Machine Bloodsucking Skateboard Co."), is described as, "an adverse reaction to the misrepresented and highly corporate images of skateboarding in popular culture", with Templeton sardonically referring to fans of the brand as "loyal pawns".

[16][17][18] While running Toy Machine in the mid-1990s, Templeton joined a now-defunct skate shoe brand named Sheep.

[9] Other riders on the team were Rick McCrank, Brian Anderson, Mike Manzoori (now a skateboard videographer), and Frank Hirata.

[9][27][28] In November 2012, Templeton suffered a leg injury while participating in an Emerica demo that had the potential to end his career.

Templeton used the time to prepare a photographic exhibition, later entitled "Memory Foam", that was opened in January 2013.

[15] Templeton's painted works (and a single photograph) are featured on his Tumblr profile—maintained by the artist himself—"The Cul-de-sac of Lameness".

In both 2001 and 2011, Templeton's artwork was featured in Juxtapoz magazine[9] and, in 2002, the art exhibition, "The Essential Disturbance", was held at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France,[55][56] a show that was accompanied by a 100-page book, The Golden Age of Neglect, published by Drago (ISBN 978-8888493022).

In 2003, Templeton, along with members of the Toy Machine team, skated on a variety of purpose-built structures—including a car—at the base of the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center for the temporary showcase of Beautiful Losers.

[53][63][64] In early 2011, Templeton released a book featuring a collection of photographs, entitled Teenage Kissers.

[65]The Australian publication, Curvy, which focuses on the work of female artists, identified the collection as a favourite, in specific relation to Templeton's oeuvre, and Curvy contributor, Katie O, described the photographic series in the following manner: "It’s equal parts cute and gross.

Consisting of sixty-eight photographs,[29] the show features Templeton's impressions of the people of Huntington Beach, California, US and ended on February 16, 2013.

Actor, Neil Patrick Harris, who is reportedly an admirer of Templeton's photographic work,[14] attended the event and clothing brand, eswic, published a video segment that was filmed at the opening.

[67][68][69] Lucy Moore, former friend of the late London bookstore owner Claire de Rouen, selected Templeton's book Litmus Test (Super Labo) for a tribute to de Rouen that was featured by the Modern Matter magazine in March 2013.

In regard to Templeton's photographic exploration of Russia, Moore explains: "Like litmus paper turning irreversibly red after it has been soaked in lemon juice, the photographs document the way that first impressions leave indelible marks upon our memory, shaping what follows."

Moore also writes that Templeton's skateboarding may be responsible for the collection's "feeling of equivalence between photographer and subject.