Nick Candela (M.F.A., painting, 2017) was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, in 1980. Candela’s paintings consist of images and text, in varying states of definition, that meld assorted themes into high-key and often absurd milieus. Subjects in his works are born of images plucked from various media and then reused to create dissonant mélanges that approach but barely avoid the familiar. Candela’s work is held in private collections across the country and in the permanent collections at the University of Mary Washington as well as at SCAD. He has also been featured in Studio Visit magazine and in CreativPaper, a digital publication. Candela lives with his family near Richmond, Virginia.