For El Paso artist Jose Cisneros, art was his job and his passion

Many people have a passion, but few are able to turn their passion into a job they love. For noted El Paso artist Jose Cisneros, whose family was devastated in the Mexican Revolution, the challenge of making his passion a reality was even greater. “Its hard for us to imagine what a family like the Cisneros would have gone through, living down in Durango,” said local Art Historian Adair Margo. “One day soldiers come into your little community and tell you to get out and kill your grandfather, hanging him from a tree, and you aren’t able to take anything with you;  you are just asked to leave your home,” said Margo, explaining what happened to the Cisneros family in  1910 before he and his family moved Juarez and later El Paso. Margo is the author of Jose Cisneros Immigrant Artist, a biography that explains Cisneros’ life in detail, from childhood to  how he became a famous artist and illustrator.