This is a relief sculpture created by Bill Mack.

"Calling my artwork bas-relief," Mack says, "is incorrect since bas-relief technically refers to low relief sculpture.  My art, in fact, has more physical depth than high relief; it incorporates various elements in full-round rising toward the viewer as in my "Illusion" image where her leg leaves the background extending into space.  Technically, sculptures combining various levels of relief and full-round parts are called 'Alto Relief' sculptures.  A similar technique has been used on classic Roman and Greek buildings.  However, until I offered my current collection of sculptures, this art form had not appeared to any extent in galleries." 

Combining low and high relief, incised lines, and elements in the full-round in sculpture works that are light enough to be hung on a wall, Mack directly involves the viewer in a 3-dimensional experience, both textural and tactile, that is often startlingly real.

"Mack's art elicits an immediate emotional response," notes one critic.  "A moment in time is stopped, a familiar face revealed, the grace of a body in motion captured.  The viewer becomes more than an observer; he becomes a participant in the drama unfolding before his eyes." 

I love this piece because I can feel the artwork. I feel the emotion and bond that is shared between this mother and child. It is beautiful.