James Cranfill’s art studio can be easy to miss when strolling down Rifle’s historic Third Street, located in a small office inside The Soap Stable self-care shop.
Tucked away in a small corner, Cranfill said one of the perks of the cozy space is that he can work on three paintings at once, since many are at arms-length at any given time.
Also easy to miss is the story behind many of the art pieces, some of which were created while he was incarcerated. And as Cranfill prepares to present his first art exhibit, he inevitably prepares to share his story.
“But that’s the last chapter of the story, and so I’ll just go back to the beginning and tell how this all happened,” he said.
Cranfill worked as a sign painter for 22 years, traveling all over the country for jobs before eventually settling in Boulder. When his son moved into his home after finishing college, financial responsibilities began piling up.
“He wanted to go to culinary school there in Boulder, and there were just so many (costs), I started spiraling down. I couldn’t keep up with the expenses,” Cranfill said.
“I’m not making excuses or trying to minimize what I did, but I made the terrible decision to rob a bank,” he continued. “No one got hurt, I didn’t use a weapon or anything, but I did it. I take accountability for that.”
Cranfill was arrested in 2013 and received a 15-year sentence.
“I started at the very worst prisons in the state and I worked my way out of that,” he said.
As a way to pass the time and contribute to the prison in good conduct, Cranfill began painting murals in the different prisons where he was sent.
“At two different facilities, I progressed through the system,” he said. “I started painting murals in the prisons and doing little things. And so that kind of opened doors for me in a lot of ways.”
Staff at the prison would grant him certain allowances for his art, as well as for good behavior.
“Maybe the warden wanted me to paint a picture of his uncle … little things like that would come up,” Cranfill said. “I was able to parlay that into progressing through the system. At each facility it was pretty much the same thing. I would stay there, I would paint murals, I would do artwork, that would be what I did a lot of times until I got to the facility here in Rifle.”
Cranfill currently resides at Rifle Correctional Center, also called the “halfway house.” For felony offenders, halfway houses provide a placement alternative, in lieu of prison incarceration, for those participating in community corrections programs. Program participants, like Cranfill, can see a systematic decrease in supervision and gain some restricted access to the community based on their behavior.
“When I got to the halfway house here, it had been right at almost 12 years since I’ve been out in society,” Cranfill said. “They really were instrumental in helping me transition. My case manager there, he gave me enough support and trust that they would let me just come out with my backpack with some paint brushes and paint.”
Cranfill was admitted to the halfway house in December 2023. This is what allowed him to pick up jobs painting signs for businesses around Rifle, and eventually land a night job at the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Resort.
“When I went and applied for that job, I told (them) my background … I said, ‘Well they’re probably not going to accept me,’” Cranfill recalled. “The next day he called back and said, ‘James, we really want your work.’ They never said one thing or questioned me … they just treated me like anybody else. That’s meant a lot to me, also.”
After completing his night shift, he reports back to the halfway house before heading to his studio to work on his art. That is, until he is officially released from the correctional center on July 1, the same date as his birthday.
Welcomed with open arms
Although his art was a source of joy and healing for Cranfill, he insisted that it was the Rifle community’s support that truly transformed his life.
“You know, they see this older guy walking around with a backpack … These people here in this community really embraced me and took me in, knowing there was something maybe in the background that they didn’t know about. But they still took me at face value and gave me these jobs,” Cranfill said. “I can’t say enough about those people.”
His relationship with the community connected him to the Rifle branch library, where he taught a watercolor class on his weekends throughout the winter.
Although not everyone is familiar with Cranfill’s past, he said he’s opened up to people in the community who have offered him jobs and his studio space. They don’t treat him any differently.
“People in this community have really been so hospitable and inviting,” he said. “That’s why when (the library) asked me about this art show, I didn’t hesitate because I want to be able to give something back.”
The Rifle library approached Cranfill about his art exhibit, which will display roughly 22 art pieces from his collection. Some of the pieces are ones Cranfill painted from his prison cell nearly 10 years ago, while others are inspired by places and people he’s met in Rifle. Together, they portray a story of a man transformed by art.
“I’ve got pieces that I did back in 2014, and you can see how my artwork evolved depending on where I was or what materials I was allowed to have,” he said.
Cranfill’s realist and impressionist art showcases several different mediums, including watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil and others. Much of the design and color choices, however, often depended on the materials he had available at the different Colorado Department of Corrections centers.
“Doing this in prison, you become very frugal with your materials,” Cranfill explained. Even a sheet of paper, little things like that, that people don’t think about. I’ve got a lot of one color, then I’ll use that in two or three different paintings to try to be as efficient as I can.”
The pieces displayed in the art exhibit will be available for purchase. Although Cranfill said he’s sold quite a few of his pieces before, his motivation behind the exhibit is something different.
“If I didn’t sell anything, it wouldn’t bother me one bit because it’s really not about that,” Cranfill said. As a way to say “thank you” to yet another community that has supported him, Cranfill will be donating 25% of the money he earns to the Western Slope Veterans Coalition.
“They’ve helped me tremendously and I certainly wanted to give back to them,” he said.
At the age of 16, Cranfill enlisted to the military with his mother’s signature and began his service in Vietnam at 17. Since returning, the coalition has aided Cranfill in acquiring medical benefits and transitioning back into society.
“This art show has become a lot more than just about me,” he said. “And I felt like there were people that deserve for me to recognize them and the role they played in all this.”
Cranfill said he anticipates some of the officers and staff at the corrections center will attend the art exhibit’s reception, with many of them driving several hours across the state to attend.
“I do still keep in touch with a lot of them,” he said. “You’ll see that probably 90% of the people that are going to be here will be Department of Corrections employees. I think that says a lot about them. And a lot about me.”
Cranfill’s daughter will also be visiting the art exhibit, along with his 5-year-old niece, whom he’ll be meeting for the first time.
“I haven’t seen (my daughter) in almost seven years. And I’ve got a granddaughter by her that I’ve never seen that I’m looking forward to,” Cranfill said. “I’m really looking forward to doing what I can to enrich their lives.”
More than just sharing his art, Cranfill said he hopes to inspire a message:
“You don’t have to be defined by bad choices. You don’t have to let that define the rest of your life,” he said. “I was able to get something positive out of this situation and kind of give back a little bit. I found redemption through my art. Really, I have.”
Cranfill’s art exhibit at Rifle library will open July 1 and run for roughly six weeks. Community members are encouraged to attend the exhibit’s celebratory reception at 5:30 p.m. July 15.