Ceramics Monthly: Sharing space and studios can be challenging to navigate with two partnered artists. What are the advantages—and the difficulties—of being in a relationship with another artist?
Richard W. James: It can be difficult to explain to a non-artist that you can’t schedule inspiration to happen during “work hours.” Being intellectually engaged with these art concepts while juggling daily life has deepened both our connection and our artwork. The only challenge is working in a limited space. The hardest part is just finding places to set things.
Emily James: As far as the timing of “No True Scotsman,” we were very lucky, but we had extremely limited space to work. Some parts were made in a hallway or an outdoor storage area while it was snowing. I had to wear heated weather gear to finish the weaving in November and December because we had to work basically outside.
CM: Can you speak to how your partnership outside of the studio has influenced your individual practices, and what inspired the collaborative work No True Scotsman?
RWJ: No True Scotsman is about facing the enormity of the dialectical arm of our capitalist system that relies on and encourages bad-faith argument. The piece needed to feel enormous to mirror our helplessness and alienation both from the levers of power and from each other.
EJ: We combined two logical tropes, the “Straw Man Argument” and “No True Scotsman” fallacies, to describe the crisis of living authentically in a bad-faith information complex. The piece definitely had to be a straw man. So we experimented a lot, technically and logistically, to make a 12-foot (3.6-m)-tall straw man that can come apart for transport, etc.
CM: What does your collaborative process look like, and how has it evolved over time? Do you have any current collaborations in the works or plans for future projects?
RWJ: Up to this point, my practice was very solitary, and I never even considered the idea of letting someone else influence my work. Emily intrinsically understood the world behind the work, and that can’t be easily explained.
EJ: Rather than having a complete piece in mind and then executing it, we tend to work around a theme. The piece changes a lot from start to finish. With this mindset, we don’t run into issues like “I wanted it to be like this” or “you’re doing it wrong” because neither of us has an exact object in mind. We have been able to change course and explore new ideas mid-way.
I like the idea of looking at a collaborative piece but not seeing two makers. We’re continuing to blur the line between “his work” and “my work.”
RWJ: Collaborating has felt like a natural development of my practice. Now it’s hard for me to imagine making significant work without her. It would be like cutting off one of my thumbs.
No True Scotsman will be on view at The Eastern, during the 2026 NCECA conference (nceca.net) in Detroit, Michigan.
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Ceramics Monthly: Sharing space and studios can be challenging to navigate with two partnered artists. What are the advantages—and the difficulties—of being in a relationship with another artist?
Richard W. James: It can be difficult to explain to a non-artist that you can’t schedule inspiration to happen during “work hours.” Being intellectually engaged with these art concepts while juggling daily life has deepened both our connection and our artwork. The only challenge is working in a limited space. The hardest part is just finding places to set things.
Emily James: As far as the timing of “No True Scotsman,” we were very lucky, but we had extremely limited space to work. Some parts were made in a hallway or an outdoor storage area while it was snowing. I had to wear heated weather gear to finish the weaving in November and December because we had to work basically outside.
CM: Can you speak to how your partnership outside of the studio has influenced your individual practices, and what inspired the collaborative work No True Scotsman?
RWJ: No True Scotsman is about facing the enormity of the dialectical arm of our capitalist system that relies on and encourages bad-faith argument. The piece needed to feel enormous to mirror our helplessness and alienation both from the levers of power and from each other.
EJ: We combined two logical tropes, the “Straw Man Argument” and “No True Scotsman” fallacies, to describe the crisis of living authentically in a bad-faith information complex. The piece definitely had to be a straw man. So we experimented a lot, technically and logistically, to make a 12-foot (3.6-m)-tall straw man that can come apart for transport, etc.
CM: What does your collaborative process look like, and how has it evolved over time? Do you have any current collaborations in the works or plans for future projects?
RWJ: Up to this point, my practice was very solitary, and I never even considered the idea of letting someone else influence my work. Emily intrinsically understood the world behind the work, and that can’t be easily explained.
EJ: Rather than having a complete piece in mind and then executing it, we tend to work around a theme. The piece changes a lot from start to finish. With this mindset, we don’t run into issues like “I wanted it to be like this” or “you’re doing it wrong” because neither of us has an exact object in mind. We have been able to change course and explore new ideas mid-way.
I like the idea of looking at a collaborative piece but not seeing two makers. We’re continuing to blur the line between “his work” and “my work.”
RWJ: Collaborating has felt like a natural development of my practice. Now it’s hard for me to imagine making significant work without her. It would be like cutting off one of my thumbs.
No True Scotsman will be on view at The Eastern, during the 2026 NCECA conference (nceca.net) in Detroit, Michigan.
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