Steve Vogel doesn’t see a dichotomy between being a first responder and an artist.

It’s just that after 34 years of fire and paramedic service in Sequim, Vogel, the retired Clallam County Fire District 3 fire chief, didn’t let many people know he liked art nonetheless majored in it in college.

“There just wasn’t time to do art,” he said of his career.

Now through April 28, Vogel hosts his first ever show inside the Sequim Museum and Arts Exhibit Center, 175 W. Cedar St., with more than a dozen of his pen and ink, and one-of-a-kind etchings on display from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays.

Vogel, a University of Washington art major, knew he wanted to be a firefighter since he was a toddler and the career stuck in his mind growing up. After finishing college in 1976 he became a janitor while volunteering as a firefighter in Suquamish. In 1979, he was invited to paramedic school and focused his efforts on becoming a full-fledged firefighter.

He initially worked in the emergency room as a paramedic in Tacoma’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center before being hired in June 1982 as Sequim’s second paid, full-time paramedic.

Call loads and demand began to increase as did his exhaustion level but Vogel pushed on and advanced in Fire District 3 to become captain in Jan. 1988 and assistant chief in April 1992. He was promoted to fire chief in Feb. 2001 after the retirement of Tom Lowe, Sequim’s first paid fire chief.

In his tenure, Vogel helped expand Sequim’s paramedic program, and establish the training facility next to Greywolf Elementary School.

But as he said prior to retirement, he wanted to get back to the drawing board.

About the art

Looking at his pen and ink work, viewers can tell Vogel has an affinity for nautical and historical sites, such as the New Dungeness Lighthouse.

Some work he’ll do from scratch or start with a sketch, go back to the scene and take a photo and finish the details later.

For the New Dungeness Lighthouse, he took some artistic liberties by moving the Olympic Mountains and some pilings into frame.

“If I like something, I just draw it,” he said. “I don’t necessarily draw for other people.”

Vogel said he typically draws while listening to a baseball game or a television show and one of the reasons he felt prompted to make art again was to fill walls in his home.

For his first art show, Vogel said he was reluctant to participate but figured it’d be a good opportunity to get his name in the community again.

He plans to create photo etchings of his original pen and ink works and some photographs he owns. His goal is to have another show of only photo etchings after he obtains his own etching press in May.

Vogel’s show does maintain a fire theme but only a few of his works involve firefighting such as “9-11,” which he drew as catharsis following the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

There are a few more art projects lined up, he said, but his biggest goal is completing his book “The First 100 Years of Fire Service in the Sequim Prairie.”

He’s worked on the book for 30-plus years, Vogel said, and in retirement he’s split his time between volunteering, drawing and researching. His goal is to have it out before Christmas.

For more information on Vogel’s show, call 360-683-8110, 360-681-2257 or visit /sequimmuseum.com.

On Sept. 12, 2001, Steve Vogel, retired fire chief of Clallam County Fire District 3, said he drew this piece, “9-11” as catharsis following the terror attacks. Image courtesy of Steve Vogel

Works by Steve Vogel tend to be nautical such as Fort Casey Lighthouse. Image courtesy of Steve Vogel

Artist Steve Vogel said he took some liberties with his drawing of the New Dungeness Lighthouse by moving some pilings and the Olympic Mountains. Image courtesy of Steve Vogel