In Native Hawaiian thinking, there is an ʻōlelo noʻeau, or proverb: Nānā i ke kumu, or look to the source. All of Maile Hoe's work looks toward her kumu, her home of Hakipuʻu, Oʻahu. She brings a thoughtful, grounded approach to her oil- and water-based paintings, and a unique Native Hawaiian perspective to graphic design.

Growing up in Hakipuʻu, which she affectionately nicknames "the bushes," the deep roots of flora-fauna interconnection, as well as Hawaiʻi's long history of indigenous culture, oppression, and resistance are at the forefront of her mind. Hāloa, a moʻolelo or story centering the connection between all earthly things -- and their responsibility to each other -- is a core of her work.