Giclee prints of E ho‘i hou i homelani (Returning to our Heavenly Home)
E ho‘i hou i homelani is an original oil painting by classmate Lisa (Morrett) Reid Cole, created for the Punahou Class of 1972 in honor of their 50th Reunion.
Lisa gifted the painting to our class for an online auction as a fundraiser for the ’72 Class Fund. The original is now being enjoyed by a lucky classmate, but 16×20 archival giclee copies are available for purchase through Lisa’s website.
About the artist
Lisa is an active, professional artist and member of the Class of 1972 Voyager Steering Committee, navigating the 50th Reunion. This particular piece aims to extoll the theme of our reunion of voyaging home with the rough waters of life becoming calm seas the closer we get to our “heavenly” home in Hawaii. The metaphor of Hokule‘a in the light of this journey is her nod to this theme and our inspiration.
Lisa graduated from Ohio State University with a BFA specializing in painting and drawing. She started actively making and selling her art in the early 1990s while living in Ojai, California. She now paints in Texas, Napa Valley, and when traveling. Her focus has been primarily on landscapes, but she is also delving into abstractions and figurative work.
Class apparel available (limited quantities)
If you missed out on purchasing our Class of ’72 Voyagers aloha apparel, there are limited items still available, including men’s aloha shirts, women’s long and short dresses and tunic tops. Email Lahapa Cabrinha Ichimura for a list, lahapa@hotmail.com.
Photo: Our Reunion Committee models: Mele White Pochereva, Ron Wise, Lahapa Cabrinha Ichimura, and Shelby Hodge Hughes.
The Story of our Voyager ’72 Collection
The origins of the Voyager Aloha Wear Committee started in 2018 at our 45th Reunion when Lisa Morrett Cole and Lisa Lam Schiff began their collaboration to head up our 50th Reunion. The two began assembling an Aloha Wear Committee, starting with fabric designer Shelby Hodge Hughes. Later that year, Terry Herkner came on board, having had a long career in merchandising at the May Company and in garment manufacturing. Tori Robinson Wickland, with her art and garment industry background, joined the team in Winter ‘21.
In August 2019, Lisa and Shelby visited the Punahou Library Archives, diving for inspiration. By then, the Hokule‘a and Nainoa Thompson’s epic voyages were already playing for their attention, albeit just one of the many accomplishments of our exceptional class. Over time and Covid, the Steering Committee crystalized a reunion theme of “Voyaging Home to Punahou.” A tag line, created by Ron Wise, “E ho‘i hou i Punahou,” was approved along with a logo of a double hull canoe inspired by the iconic Polynesian voyaging canoes. Our theme was established and Aloha Wear had words, symbols and a logo to work with.
Shelby approached several local designers, based on committee research, including Herman Pi‘ikea Clark, of Pili Pacific. Herman reacted immediately and enthusiastically to creating something special for us despite the logistics and manufacturing issues created by Covid. He was keenly interested. Turns out that Nainoa is his cousin, and Malia Ane is also family. A Punahou grad, Herman told Shelby, “It would be an honor to work with us.”
While Herman began to put voyaging elements onto paper, Tori started work with Tori Richard looking for voyaging-themed fabrics pulled from their current and upcoming lines. Upon Herman’s initial design concept presentation, the committee could immediately see something special evolving. With Pili’s signature look, the layering of Polynesian symbols and color to tell a story, options were reviewed and revised between Herman and Terry to discuss with the committee. At Tori Richard, many fabrics and designs were considered with several close but not quite right.
In the end, Herman’s unique artwork for Pili Pacific provided a beautiful and exclusive design for the Class of ’72 50th Reunion. It was presented and enthusiastically approved by the Steering Committee. Fortunately, Tori Richard has offered us other merchandise opportunities, such as logo monogrammed polos, to fill out our Voyager ’72 Collection that will be offered to the class.
Lisa Morrett Cole, Terry Herkner, Shelby Hodge Hughes, and Tori Robinson Wickland
Aloha Wear & Merchandise Committee
About Herman Pi‘ikea Clark ’78
Born and raised in Honolulu, Dr. Herman Pi‘ikea Clark is a Kanaka Maoli / indigenous Polynesian Hawaiian. A practicing visual artist/designer, Dr. Clark’s creative artwork is housed in both private and public collections in Hawaii, the United States and the Pacific. In 2003, he and his wife established ‘Pili,’ a design studio focusing on Pacific identity. His commissioned projects include works for architectural, graphic, textile and interior design. Dr. Clark has served as a university academic for over twenty years.
He holds a Doctorate in Education from Massey University in New Zealand and a Masters of Fine Art in Visual Communication Design from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research focuses on the applied intersection of indigenous knowledge, creative process and advanced technology. He has pioneered the field of indigenous art/design education and research in the Pacific, establishing new pathways for development in Pacific and indigenous education through Design Innovation and creative process.
Herman and his wife Sue Melinda Pearson, a Norfolk Island artist, live in Whakatane, New Zealand with their two children.
Designer’s inspiration for our special fabric
In line with the concept of “Voyagers,” the theme adopted by the class to orient their 50th reunion celebration activities, I developed this customized pattern for the class of 1972 reunion fabric. Inspired by the voyages of Hokule‘a and the revival of Polynesian canoe sailing and navigation, the design combines multiple visual elements – textures, colors, shapes – drawn from the Pacific and culture of Hawaiian/Polynesian canoe voyaging. Called ‘Voyagers,’ this pattern design acknowledges the achievements of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and its leader and class of 1972 member Charles Nainoa Thompson and celebrates the spirit of exploration and wayfinding for which the Class of 1972 has long personified.
— Herman Pi‘ikea Clark, Creative Director, Pili Pacific
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