Debbie Engle summarizes her thoughts about the motivation behind her art in her following quote:

“There is a quality that animals possess that has intrigued us since our beginning. With reverence we painted and carved them on cave walls. Through all ages and cultures animals have inhabited our dreams and mythologies. We see distilled in them all the powers and mysteries of Nature and have longed for a closer understanding and kinship with that mystery.” –Engle

Engle was born in California and studied art and ceramic sciences at the University of Puget Sound in WA State. She credits growing up in a pre-computer and video era for allowing her to spend much of her early years outdoors studying nature and the structures and behaviors of animals. This attraction soon found expression in drawings and sculptures and lead to the serious study of art from a variety of California instructors and institutions. After more than 40 years as a full time sculptor, Engle still seeks to imbue her works with “resonant expressions derived for the gestures of animals”. She believes our appreciation, sensitivity to, and desire for natural beauty are all a hardwired part of a very old survival skill. “In essence, it is the ability to identify exemplary health and fitness as well as to recognize normalcy, all if which indicate wellbeing.” –Engle

Engle’s artworks are interpretations of her observations of natural forms and “the energies they express. In experiencing these works, we can remain in touch with what is inherently and deeply satisfying and nurturing.” –Engle