For years I have been nourished by images of the body as a vessel, an earthenware pot filled with varying qualities, elements, and energies, the bowl of soul. It is an image with echoes from many ancient cultures. The working title for The Book of Qualities was Cups, Bowls and Baskets. It is with delight and humility that I am returning to these images of cups, bowls, and baskets. When I made the painting of "The Bowl of Soul," I realized it reminded me of a poem by Cid Corman, an American poet who lived in Japan. He wrote about a master potter and sculptor who asked what constituted a great tea bowl, answered: "...when you look at a bowl and its inside is larger than its out."