Once upon a time, in a modest studio in the heart of German Village, two women formed a strong friendship based on their love for creating art. It was a trying time – with few venues in the area for them to establish their work – but an exciting time.

The two women painted together every day. They traveled to art hubs like New York City and dreamed of one day making it big. Laughter abounded and memories were created.

Eighteen years later, that friendship comes full circle. Art Access Gallery, 540 S. Drexel Ave., in Bexley, will host a reunion exhibit, Just for Fun, featuring the work of old friends Sally S. Bennett and Marti Steffy. The exhibit opens Oct. 2 and will run through the month of October, with an artists’ reception Oct. 12 from 5-8 p.m.

The Friendship
Marti Steffy and Sally Bennett were brought together simply by their art. Both Bexley residents at the time, the women were members of the fledgling Bexley Area Art Guild, where local artists could share their work.

They became very close, and eventually shared a studio on the corner of Fifth and Lear streets in German Village. When they realized they shared a deep ambition to create reputable work, the women traveled to places that had strong art scenes. One of those places was Santa Fe, N.M.

“We just had big dreams and took a number of trips with two other women to check out the galleries and see what it was like and share thoughts about how we could do it,” Steffy says. “I remember when we went to Santa Fe, Sally told me she felt a calling to be there and that’s exactly what she did. She’s really done it for herself and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Bennett continues to live in Santa Fe today, and exhibits her work there as well as in New York City and San Francisco, among other cities. She currently has a collection in Houston. Steffy lives in Bexley and has permanent exhibits across Ohio. She’s also exhibited in other states, such as Tennessee and New Jersey.

The Art
Steffy and Bennett’s paintings are poignantly different, and will be visually appealing displayed beside one another in this particular gallery, which is dripping with authenticity – boasting the building’s original wood floors and tin ceilings with white brick walls. This kind of juxtaposition will provide an amusing display of diversity.

Steffy’s work is directly inspired by her travels. For about 10 years now, she and her husband, Roger, have been vacationing to places known for their strong sense of history and aesthetics. They’ve been to France, England, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Spain, and most recently, Italy, Turkey and Greece, which served as the muse behind Steffy’s pieces for this particular show.

“The people and the culture and everything about Greece are so moving,” Steffy says. “I didn’t plan on having abstract pieces in this exhibit, but the landscaping there really lends itself to it because there’s hardly any foliage. It has all this charm and history, but I just couldn’t translate it, so I turned to abstract paintings that I felt represented my take on being there.”

Most of her prior works are landscapes and she’s admittedly nervous about the reaction she’ll get from her abstracts. She will have some figurative pieces in the show, perhaps for peace of mind. Most of Steffy’s recent paintings have dramatic blue and red representation, outlining the Greek culture that relies so heavily on their religion (red, for the blood of Christ) and their dependence on the Mediterranean Sea (blue, for water).

On the flip side, Bennett’s work doesn’t include as much color. In fact, the self-described “abstract expressionist” begins most of her work with many layers of black gesso, and patterns are subsequently worked into the pieces.

“I am a very compulsive artist. My stories begin and end in these paintings and hopefully will go on with the viewer,” Bennett says. “My work is kind of like my diary. My hope is that every time someone looks at it, they’ll see something different.”

Bennett dabbles in sculpture and figurines, and will return somewhat to primary colors for her Columbus show, but her staple is working around these intricate, and pleasantly busy, patterns inspired mostly by her role as a mother of five. She’s now a grandmother and sees in her adult children what she experienced while raising them.

“Patterns are meditative to me. I think of women, and some men, and how they are at home doing their daily chores, and raising their children, and all the repetition that comes with it, and how they just do it so gracefully. That’s beautiful to me, and this work answers some questions as to why I’m here. It’s very personal,” Bennett says.

The Reunion
The profound dichotomy in the painting styles of Steffy and Bennett is what inspired Gail Burkart, co-owner of Art Access, to bring Just for Fun to fruition.

She, along with co-owner Barb Unverferth, visited Steffy’s studio one day last October and noticed a catalog featuring Bennett’s work. The pieces caught their attention immediately and, when Steffy shared the story of their long history of art and friendship, the women immediately called and invited Bennett to Columbus for a reunion show.

“It fell into place so easily. It just seems like it was meant to be,” Burkart says. “The relationship of old friends getting together and doing this show – it’s such a wonderful story, and the diversity that will be involved in the exhibit will be incredible.”

Bennett has returned to Columbus briefly, but she’s looking forward to a more extensive stay this time around, to soak in how much the art scene has changed since she left almost 20 years ago. “I cannot wait to walk around and take it all in. Our big shows used to be the juried show at the Ohio State Fair, and now the opportunities in Columbus are everywhere,” she says.

Steffy is most looking forward to rekindling a strong friendship. “To have us show together after all this time and reminisce is so exciting to me,” she says. “We really did grow and struggle together and this show will be full circle, showing how far we’ve both come in our work and our relationship.”

For more information about the exhibit and the artists, visit www.artaccessgallery.com or www.sallysbennett.com, or call Art Access Gallery at 614-338-8325.

Alicia Kelso is editor of CityScene.