Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Centro Universitario de la Costa and the Peter Gray Art Museum thank artist Federico León de la Vega y Lagos for the donation of his painting, entitled Puente sobre Estero ("Bridge over Estuary"). The general public is invited to visit the museum and appreciate this work of art that adds to the university's cultural heritage and the permanent works in the museum.

The inspiration for this painting came from a visit to Estero El Salado in 2005, when a legal battle to protect disappearing wetlands at the expense of development in this areas was being fought by ecological groups.

León De la Vega says: "Passing under the bridge I saw a variety of birds. Then I heard cars going above, and I felt a thrill as I witnessed the pristine colors of fluttering wings going in and out of the mangrove, reflecting flashes of light..."

"I thought that it is very unfortunate that motorists speed along with undaunted hurry, never thinking about how roads and bridges can, on occasion, destroy the life on which we all depend."

Later, with the collaboration of biologists, artists and concerned citizens, among whom were Peter Gray and Juan Luis Cifuentes Lemus, De la Vega organized an exhibition in his Nuevo Vallarta studio to benefit the El Salado Estuary, in which "Puente sobre Estero" was the centerpiece.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Born in Mexico City in 1952, Federico León de la Vega y Lagos graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana with an industrial design degree and received his Master's Degree from Auburn University. In addition to being an industrial designer, he is also a painter and writer.

He is a collaborator on the CUC's radio station and, for a while, taught the university's Graphic Design career course. He established the Casa Cultural Estudio-Café in Nuevo Vallarta in 2000, and is a founding member of the Costa Verde Alliance and Natura Nayarit creative group in defense of the environment.