The title of the exhibit now on display in the Rike Center Art Gallery is 'Tempus Incognitum,' which translates to Time Unknown.

This title is fitting since both artists, Jason Franz and Amy Williams-McLaren, use historic inspiration to create contemporary art.

Curator Erin Holscher, describes Jason Franz's work as 'classic style with a contemporary edge.' His oil paintings remind one of Ancient Roman statues or ruins, painted in vibrant colors.

'Places, especially ruined ones, that reveal the destiny of human history and emit a powerful cultural vibe provide, for me, an intoxicating dislocating experience,' Franz said in a gallery statement. 'I have come to understand [it] to be a healing, perspective, orienting, conceptually rich creative solace.'

Many of Franz's drawings are derived from live models and exude emotion. But, at the same time, they look like something found in a drawing class. One of the amazing things about his work is each of the drawings was made in 90 minutes or less in one sitting. Franz stated that he did this in order to show his efforts as an artist and maintain the discipline of drawing from observation.

The other artist featured is Amy Williams-McLaren. Williams-McLaren's work is a self-described 'visual diary,' and is heavily influenced by pre-Renaissance subject matter.

Williams-McLaren's goal was to 'illustrate modern day women elevated to noble stature.'

'They are dressed like an aristocrat: however, their expressions communicate something more humble,' said Williams-McLaren.

The paintings have very detailed facial expression and a somewhat bland background which pulls the viewers focus to the face. However, one painting is the antithesis of this theme in that her two figures are nude and face down on a table.

Another highlight of Williams-McLaren's work was her graphite drawings on pages from a poetry book. The words of poetry run across the faces of the women. According to Holscher, Williams-McLaren's drawings have less definition and are more chaotic than Franz's sketches. All of the women in her paintings and drawings have detailed expressions and exude characteristics of the Renaissance era, such as slanted eyes and a tiny mouth.

The works of Jason Franz and Amy Williams-McLaren compliment each other very well when shown together in one exhibit. Franz summed up the overall feel of the exhibit well when he said, ''these works are ' externalized memory of gravid experiences at a certain place, time and frame of mind. As icons of contemplation, they become accounts of time spent in devotion to ' Time.'

Both artists concern with time inspired this great collection of contemporary work.

The exhibit will be on display in the Rike Center Gallery through Oct. 27.

Rike Gallery will have many featured exhibits throughout the year. The next exhibit will feature the work of Seniors, and begins Nov. 2.