Ed Templeton is a people watcher. Yeah, sure, he's also the creative force behind Toy Machine Skateboards, a key figure in the Beautiful Losers project, a world-renowned documentary photographer and artist, and a respected pro-skater, but those are just after-thoughts to his day-to-day people watching.
In fact Templeton's routine observations of the eccentric characters he regularly encounters in his hometown of Huntington Beach inform almost every aspect of his creative endeavors as he surveys the familiar suburban landscape, corresponding youth culture, and underlying surf and skate lifestyle through his unflinching camera lens and large canvases.
Last month, Templeton opened "Common Side Effects," an expansive exhibition at the Huntington Beach Art Center that includes a survey of old work along with new paintings and drawings directly inspired from this immersion into his coastal suburban environment. Additionally Templeton chose 5 local photographers (and fellow Deadbeat Club members) – Billy Soncho Williams, Deanna Templeton, Nolan Hall, Devin Briggs, and Grant Hatfield – in whose work the city of Huntington Beach and the people who gravitate there are prominent features.
The installation, which runs through November 7th, features the subjects Templeton has photographed during his regular trips to the Huntington Beach Pier over the past 20 years — using only his Leica film cameras, as well as paintings, sculptures and mixed media.
Follow Ed on Instagram @ed.templeton.