Matt Wolf seems to have found his niche. The Oakdale High School junior was recently named the winner of the Oakdale Saddle Club Poster Contest for the 68th Annual Oakdale Rodeo.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, PRCA, event will be hosted Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14 at the Oakdale Saddle Club rodeo grounds.

The OHS graphic arts student gave the poster a different spin this year, taking inspiration from a photo and placing it in a parchment/old west setting. Matt’s work was selected over a total of 30 entries for the annual contest.

“I didn’t really know what to do, but I thought well it’s rodeo so I would make it look like an old time western photo,” he said.

According to the junior, the Oakdale Saddle Club provided the students with several photos for inspiration. A western movie he watched also inspired him to design it like it was on old parchment, he said.

“I’ve always liked art but I started digital design last year when I took graphic design,” he said.

The student shared upon first entering the class, much of it was foreign to him. Since then it’s not only become his favorite, but shaped his career inspiration.

In addition to having his entry selected for the Oakdale Rodeo poster, Matt’s work was also chosen for an SOS Fun Run advertisement for the 209 Magazine, as well as several posters he created being utilized for the high school’s Drama Department.

“It feels really good,” he said of having his work selected and appreciated, “because this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Matt hopes to pursue an education and career in Graphic Design post-graduation from OHS.

“I always liked art, but I was never too good at drawing, but I’m really good at this,” Matt said with excitement for his talent. “So I can still create without being good at drawing necessarily.”