"Searching for Home" is a contemplative work that merges visual art and poetry to explore the deeply personal and spiritual journey of belonging. In the painting, a translucent figure stands in water, holding a glowing lantern. Her form, partially dissolving into the surrounding stillness, reflects the ephemeral nature of identity and place. The light she carries illuminates not only the space around her but seems to radiate from within; blurring the line between what is held and what is felt.

Accompanying this visual is a poem of the same name, a reflection on the idea that home is not something external we return to, but a presence we carry through time, memory, and transformation. It speaks to the quiet resilience of the human spirit; how we carry fragments of love, light, and safety inside us, even when the world feels uncertain.

Together, the painting and poem form a singular expression; an open invitation to the viewer and reader to explore their own understanding of home. Rather than offering fixed meaning, the work holds space for introspection, asking: What does home look like when everything else falls away? Where does your light come from, and where does it lead you?

Bradley van Graan, 2025