Tim Williams

San Francisco, 2023

acrylic on wood

48 x 23 x 4 inches

C-lective Curator’s Cut:

San Francisco is part of Tim Williams’s Travelin’ Man series, where each ticket reflects a journey and carries anecdotes from his travels. Born to an Irish mother and Russian father with CIA ties, his early life was shaped by global movement and complex family dynamics. In 2007, he left the U.S. for Taiwan, where the culture and vibrant graffiti scene transformed his life and artistic practice. This ticket features a self-portrait of Williams on a bike, his hand rendered as Iron Man’s—a nod to his love of comics and pop-art influences. The SFO airport code anchors the piece, alongside the Golden Gate Bridge, the Muni logo, a California condor, and the coordinates of the Bay. The work captures his personal energy while honoring San Francisco as the place he will always return to, always calling it home.

Tim Williams, aka OPTIMIST

We Love Tim. Tim, known in the art world as OPTIMIST, is an Oakland-based, mixed-media artist whose vibrant, pop-inspired work celebrates movement, identity, and the rhythms of city life. Merging graffiti aesthetics with the narrative flair of comic books, his art is rebellious, playful, and deeply rooted in human experience.

  • Bachelor’s in Conceptual Information Arts, San Francisco State University

  • Worldwide practice spanning 15 years, creating mixed-media, layered works informed by graffiti, comic books, and daily life

    Extensive travel, especially to Taipei and other cities, directly inspires his Travelin’ Man series

    Featured in his successful solo exhibition “Travelin’ Man” at RVCA Gallery, San Francisco

    Presented at Context Art Fair, Miami (2023)

"I always saw my art as a way to connect with people—on walls, in sketchbooks, wherever I happened to be."

Tim’s Travelin’ Man series is a dynamic chronicle of cities and experiences, capturing the energy of place through motion, memory, and bold mark making. Influenced by street art, zine culture, and pop art, his work is both spontaneous and deliberate, layered with color, texture, and storytelling. From Oakland to Osaka, each piece reflects not just the spirit of a location, but also Tim’s evolving relationship with the world around him.

C-lective is proud to present the complete Travelin’ Man series, along with a broader selection of Tim’s works that continue to celebrate movement, identity, and connection.

Interviews in progress, please check back soon!