An Empire High School student who had never entered an art competition won a Hughes Federal Credit Union contest with a watercolor of a desert sunset over Vail, and it will be the face of the credit union’s new Vail debit card.

Veta Roth’s painting, “Where the Desert Meets the Sky,” beat four other finalists last month at the credit union’s Vail branch, where about 100 people voted in 90 minutes. Roth's design received 42% of the votes. She r

The event marked the Vail branch’s first debit card design contest, in which high school students submitted their own artwork.

Roth, who attends Empire High School, was inspired by Arizona’s sunsets, especially the view from Vail. With only about a month to prepare, she decided to capture the beauty she sees on the horizon in her design.

“When I heard about this contest from my teacher in art class, I knew it would be a great opportunity,” Roth said.

Roth’s family says she has always had a natural talent for drawing. She started taking art classes in ninth grade, but this was her first competition.

Her piece is a 4-by-6 canvas made with watercolors, oil pastels and acrylic markers. The final version took some work.

“There was a lot of trial and error,” Roth said. “It took a lot of practice, and there were a lot of drafts.”

Roth’s father, Storm Roth, watched her work on the painting and marveled at how much effort she put into the design.

“She was very excited about this,” Storm Roth said. “Her usual art style is drawing portraits and sketches, so this type of art style with watercolor was outside her realm.”

Taking on a new art style, Veta Roth created a vivid, intricate painting of lively green cacti in the Tucson desert, with deep purple shadows on the mountains beneath a golden horizon.

Three of the five finalists are students at Empire High School, where Ben Kross teaches art. Kross was at the Sept. 26 event to support them.

Kross, who has taught for 20 years, promoted the contest to his students and reminded them of the deadlines. Students worked on their entries outside of class.

“(Entering the contest) wasn’t a requirement, but I told them to pursue it on their own, even if they were a little bit interested,” Kross said.

And while he was happy to support all his students along the way, Kross said Roth earned her win on her own.

“She deserves all the credit,” Kross said.

Kross has watched Vail grow into a “very close” community. He moved there when it had fewer homes and shopping centers, “when there used to be nothing,” he said.

That closeness was on display at the contest.

Event organizer Irlanda Cuevas said the turnout went beyond family members to include friends and neighbors.

“There’s such a tight-knit community here in Vail, through word of mouth alone, people knew to come by,” Cuevas said.

Jemma Byrd won second place for her piece “Life in the Valley,” and third place went to Addyson Nemitz for her work “Resting on the Tree.”

This event was designed to give students the opportunity to showcase their artwork while promoting financial literacy.

Hughes has supported the Vail District Foundation through sponsorships, donations and financial education for students, including lessons on building a budget and understanding credit.

“Perhaps at the high school level, they’re getting ready to purchase their first vehicle, so we support them in those initiatives or how to get ready for college,” Cuevas said.

The winning card will be available Nov. 1, with $5 from each card issued going toward teacher grants, student opportunities and academic enrichment programs.

Kenia Licea is a University of Arizona journalism student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at klicea2004@arizona.edu.

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