Nagle enrolled as an English major at San Francisco State College, but later switched to the school's BFA, and graduated with a focus in ceramics in 1961.

Nagle owned a 1948 Ford Coupe to which he applied 40 coats of British racing green, sanding between each layer to achieve depth of color.

His small-scale, intimately sized sculptures are often composite of multiple elements and involve a confluence of techniques and materials including slip-casting, airbrushing, hand-molding, traditional and non-traditional glazing, scalp-metal, polyurethane, wax, and epoxy.

This resonates with his stated interest in painting, where he cites influences such as Giorgio Morandi, Cy Twombly, and Billy Al Bengston.

Together, the two wrote songs for legendary artists that sold in the millions and released their own album on Capitol Records in 1979 that received a 5-star rating in Rolling Stone and scored some European hits.

The artist magnified and distorted sounds of jar-trapped bees and shattering windows to create disturbing effects in the horror film.