McKaylie Capps’ work will be auctioned off June 30 at the rodeo’s Hall of Fame ceremony

The work of a member of the St. Paul Rodeo family has been revealed in the form of a poster signifying the 2025 Fourth of July rite.

McKaylie Capps, granddaughter of rodeo pioneer Richard Ernst, was commissioned to create the piece, which depicts a cowboy overlooking the rodeo’s iconic arena and the farmland that surrounds it, verdant with hops and orchards.

An ode to St. Paul’s agricultural heritage, the piece is “done in muted colors in oil on a wood panel; it is in quiet anticipation of the excitement of rodeo week,” a release said.

Capps, now a resident of Redmond where she owns and operates Selva Art Studio, chose oils for the painting.

“The process forces me to slow down,” she said, “which gives me the space to be intentional with my work.”

Although not a native of St. Paul, Capps began venturing to the tiny Marion County town as a child when she spent a summer there with family during rodeo week. Her grandmother, the late Maureen Ernst, treated each grandchild to a wristband allowing access to the rides in the midway.

“We would spend hours riding everything we could,” Capps said, adding that she also enjoyed the rodeo and the other accouterments. “I loved watching the grand entry, eating strawberry shortcake and watching the fireworks. Those memories are so vivid and joyful, and they shape the way I see St. Paul and the rodeo.”

Capps’ career as an artist got its start when she was 13 and sold her first piece at the rodeo’s now-defunct Wild West Art Show. The graphite drawing of a cowgirl, framed in wood by her uncle, sold after it was on display for three days in the tent adjacent to the arena.

“It’s nice to hear your friends and family say you’re such a good artist, but it’s totally different to hear a stranger say it and use their own money to buy your work,” she said. “It’s external validation, and it’s extra special as a 13-year-old.”

Since pocketing the proceeds from her first sale, Capp rarely misses the rodeo and will be attending this year’s event after sitting out last year’s event.

“It felt weird to miss the rodeo,” said Capp, who teaches painting at her studio, specializes in creating live wedding paintings and is a big fan of the annual spectacle.

“It’s a chance to pause and celebrate and appreciate our country,” she said. “It brings people together, family, friends, neighbors, even strangers, around a shared love of our country, tradition and small-town hospitality. Whether you’re from St. Paul or visiting the first time, the rodeo makes you feel like you belong.”

Copies of the rodeo poster will be for sale at the rodeo for $20, and the original artwork will be auctioned off during the Hall of Fame barbecue June 30. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Austin Smith Foundation.

The rodeo is July 1-5, with shows each evening at 7:30 p.m. A 1:30 p.m. matinee is set for July 4.