Oxygen Art Centre is delighted to present an exhibition by illustrator and writer Bethany Pardoe entitled The Small Earth. On view in the O2 vitrine exhibition space from November 28, 2025, to January 16, 2026, The Small Earth presents sketchbook pages and illustrations that shape the cosmology of a graphic novel in progress.
Bethany Pardoe is a traditional illustrator and writer with a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. From picture books to graphic novels, Pardoe writes and illustrates fantastical stories inspired by growing up as an odd duck.
Imbued with elements of nature and personal folklore, her art and narratives are for people who feel things deeply. Pardoe currently lives and works in Vancouver, BC, and grew up in Nelson, BC, before moving to the coast to attend postsecondary school.
The exhibition, The Small Earth, presents a selection of Pardoe’s works-in-progress to share insight on the emerging artist’s creative praxis and worldbuilding for her forthcoming graphic novel. Selections include pages during Pardoe’s residency at the Banff Centre’s Comics and Graphic Novel program.
Located on the Stanley Avenue side of the Nelson Trading Company building (430 Baker Street) in downtown Nelson, B.C., O2 is a window-turned-gallery that serves as an extension of Oxygen Art Centre’s contemporary art programming.
This program is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the Vancouver Foundation, and the Regional District of Central Kootenay ReDi program. Special thanks to Hall Printing for their support in realizing this exhibition.
Image Credit: Storyteller, Bethany Pardoe, illustration on paper, 2025; Courtesy the artist.