Feature artist for April 2026: Keegan Starlight

By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – When the Calgary Flames approached Keegan Starlight in late 2025 about an Indigenous Celebration logo and jersey project, he says the opportunity felt both unexpected and deeply personal.

For Starlight, a lifelong Flames fan, the collaboration connected professional recognition with personal history. “I’ve been a Flames fan since I was a kid and my whole family has watched the Flames games, you know, forever. So, it was awesome.”

But beyond the NHL connection, he says the project carried a broader responsibility: how to represent Indigenous communities in a way that felt inclusive and non-restrictive.

Starlight says his relationship with art began early, long before he understood it as a career path. “My journey as an artist has really developed over the past 20 years,” he says. “I think it started when I was really young – around Grade 3.”

He explains that, at the time, he struggled with focus and restlessness and had not yet been fully diagnosed with ADHD. “I had a hard time focusing and sitting still. The only thing that really helped me was art.”

Art, he says, became a way to create structure and control. “It gave me a way to sit down, focus, and take control of something for once. That’s really where it all began for me.”

Starlight describes his upbringing as deeply traditional, shaped by ceremony, land-based living, and family teachings that continue to guide his work. He also recalls a childhood rooted in land-based practices. Those experiences, he explains, shaped his approach to discipline and work.

He and his brothers and sisters were raised to be hard working. A lesson from his father continues to guide his practice today. “Don’t half-ass things, right? Just make sure that you’re doing it to the full of your extent, even if it’s not perfect. Just keep on working at it.”

He adds that his understanding of discipline was shaped by both tradition and education. “And my dad had a huge impact on how I was in terms of dedication.”

Starlight says his artistic style has changed significantly over the years, beginning with illustration and comic-inspired drawing. He later moved into portrait work, where he explored ideas around identity and spirit.
The old saying, ‘don’t take a picture of me, you’re stealing my soul’ resonated with him. “So I wanted to turn it on its side and be like, I’m giving the soul back to the individual by doing portraits and, you know, giving my spirit back to them.”

He continued that work into his mid-20s before shifting direction. That shift led him toward painting, particularly animals and land-based imagery. “So then I started getting into painting, and I started doing more of animals, you know, really trying to bring the spiritual side, the connection of the land into the painting.”

Over time, he developed a multidisciplinary practice spanning illustration, portraiture, landscapes, still life, and animation. “That was my thing – trying not to stay backed into a corner. I like to have a bunch of options in terms of being an artist.”

In recent years, Starlight’s work has entered major public spaces across Calgary, including a large installation at the BMO Centre. “It’s kind of surreal,” he says. “Growing up, I always wished that I could have my artwork even just viewed for a day.”

Seeing his work integrated into public spaces, he says, remains emotionally significant. “Sometimes I have to kind of sit back and take it all in, but I’m very honoured at the same time.”

With the Calgary Flames Indigenous Celebration project, Starlight says the design process required balance – both visually and culturally. He explains that blending the Flames’ identity with his own artistic language came naturally in some ways.
“It was a pretty easy blend. A lot of our colours that we use within our outfits and our designs are fire colours, right?”

At the same time, incorporating additional tones and visual elements required refinement. “Trying to blend the other colours, like the pinks and the teals and everything, was a bit more of a challenge, but it worked. It told the story quite well.”

He says the collaboration process itself was straightforward. “As soon as I gave them the first design, they loved it. They had a few minor things that they wanted to change, but there wasn’t much. They were really easy to work with.”

For Starlight, the broader goal of the work is not to impose meaning, but to encourage engagement. “I want to inspire people. I’m not looking for them to read into a certain message… I would like my work to inspire people to just branch out and try new things, like the Flames.”

Starlight says navigating different expectations is one of the most challenging parts of being an artist. “It’s just trying to find the happy middle between everything, and it’s difficult, but I think once you get in that way of thinking, it becomes easier.”

He adds that inclusion across sports and arts is improving but still evolving. “The nice thing about what the NHL is doing is that they have so much more inclusion now. We’ve seen it with Edmonton. We’ve seen it with Vancouver.”

He encourages young artists and creatives to recognize opportunity in their own communities. “If you just look closely to your town and show your talent, it doesn’t necessarily have to be art. It could be dance. It could be singing. The inclusion is there.”

While he acknowledges progress is ongoing, he says it is still meaningful. “It may not be exactly where we need it to be right now, but it’s definitely there.”

For Starlight, that visibility is also about courage. “I think that should be an inspiration in itself; take a risk, the worst thing they can say is no.”

Starlight says his journey has been defined by persistence, setbacks, and growth. “I’ve had more failures than I’ve had successes, and it’s part of the game.”

He encourages emerging artists to stay grounded in purpose despite self-doubt. “You’ve gotta step up and you’ve gotta do it for you.”

He adds that imposter syndrome is part of the process – but not a stopping point. “You’ve just gotta fight through it.”

For Starlight, the broader message is about resilience and collective pride. “Whatever anybody else does out there, the Indigenous community is gonna be proud.”