Every Tuesday, during the coldest months, a diverse group of Toronto residents gather at the Beth Sholom Synagogue to share their love of conversation, community and art.

They are members of The Art Circle, a free, weekly event offered through the Out-of-the-Cold program in a partnership between the Beth Sholom Synagogue and Beth Tzedec Congregation.

Out of the Cold programs are volunteer-run, overnight programs, typically run by faith-based organizations, at different locations from fall to spring. They offer a place where people can simply enjoy a meal and find community support, or, if needed, a place to sleep. There are no beds, just mats on the floor.

The Art Circle has been running since 2010, and, at the end of the program, the artists show and sell their work.

“I like the opportunity to get exhibited and sold. I guess, maybe, I had a certain amount of self doubt, as to my abilities,” explained Jay W., as she meticulously laboured over a pastel still life of lemons, a bottle and grapes.

“At the end of the night, I am just a happier person,” she said. (She asked that her last name not be used.)

Rafi Aaron, program co-chair of Out of the Cold, said, over the years, he has watched members grow and produce everything from watercolours and realist paintings to abstract work and intricate pencil drawings.

“People who are using our facility are under an incredible amount of stress in their lives,” said Aaron.

“For me, it shows that even if there is something that an individual is going through in some aspect of their life or they have challenges, or they need help, there are still many other parts of their lives that are strong and beautiful and allow them to create.”

Jay, taking part for the first time this year, is critical, ambitious and dedicated to learning more about technique.

“I haven’t even ventured past pastels, because I don’t even have the skills to do acrylics and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “I don’t think I have perspective. I don’t think I have shadow. I don’t think I understand it quite well.”

She has been encouraged by fellow participant Stephanie Mazzocut, 74, a jewellery designer who comes to share a love of painting, to socialize and stay active. Mazzocut’s son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia; it has caused her great stress, but she said it also gives her a sense of kinship for people struggling in their own lives.

During the program she showed off a completed painting of pastel coloured houses nestled in snow, but said a favourite subject is flowers.

“It makes me feel happy, satisfied. I think, ‘Oh my god, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, I couldn’t paint flowers like I do now’ . . . . The more I do, the better I get.”

At the show, smaller paintings could run $40 to $60. Ten per cent of the profit goes towards the art supplies and running the show and the rest to the artists.

“Some of them look forward to this all year. It is a moment where people seek them out and appreciate what they have created,” said Aaron.

He said the annual art show is also bittersweet, because it marks, not only the end of the art program, but also the time the synagogue stops providing shelter for people in need.

The program has run for 15 years and can feed and host about 200 men and women, but can offer places to sleep to only up to 60 people. Everybody gets a bag lunch, a TTC token and a hot breakfast before departing at 7 a.m.

This year’s show, entitled Basking in Their Light, will be held at the Beth Sholom Synagogue, on Sunday March 26, at 1445 Eglington Ave. W., from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Members of The Art Circle explain what they love about the program and give advice to people thinking about starting to paint, draw or sketch.

The group brings a vast and complicated range of life experiences to the table, most come just for the evening program but all share a common love for community and art.

For Paul Shields, 53, art provides relief from the stress of daily life.

He has been part of the program for five years and what he loves is the diversity and number of artists. “The variety of styles is really joyous.”

To new artists, he said don’t worry about making mistakes. Just play.

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“That is one of the barriers that people have. They say, ‘Oh, I am not an artist; mine look like stick figures and I can’t draw a straight line.’ None of that matters,” said Shields.

“I made a painting, and they put it in their show and I was so flattered because I didn’t think it was very good. But it sold right away, and that encouraged me to make more art.”

Four years ago Ryan MacMillan, 36, used the Out of the Cold program to sleep. He has housing now but returns to visit with friends, paint and check out the work of fellow artists.

This is his third year. “The people are just so nice to put this on for us. They supply all the material and canvases.”

He has been artistic for most of his life, but didn’t really commit to painting until he came to the program.

“Just do it, don’t think too much about. Just jump in,” he said when asked what he would say to aspiring artists. “It is good for the soul.

“You do just a little bit, like an image all of a sudden appears, and it is rewarding. It doesn’t take much.”

Noel Gallagher, 73, has painted for the better part of 30 years, at programs across the city. On Tuesday he worked on a very personal tribute, a painting of a sunset that was featured on a funeral program of a close friend. He had gone to the service earlier that day.

Of painting, he says it relaxes him. “It takes you away, from thinking about all the things and all that kind of stuff. I think it is very important.”

“I was never trained myself. I did it on my own. You need training, I think,” said Gallagher, also an active volunteer.

Norman Graham, has been part of the art program for four years. “I come for the art. If it wasn’t for the art, I would leave.”

When asked about what he likes about the program his immediate and enthusiastic response is everything.

“I wanted to be an artist for my entire life. I wanted to have my own gallery and my own art shows, and I couldn’t figure out how to do it.

Now his clients include Mayor John Tory, who bought one of Graham’s paintings during Tory’s campaign for mayor.

Irene Rabikovich, 54, has been coming to the program for two years, to socialize and meet with other artists. “I painted all my life. I start when I was in kindergarten.” Art, she says, fills her with positive emotion, and a few years ago she began seeking out classes and programs that would help her progress.

Her advice to new artists? Patience is key, she said.

“If you want to make a good picture, you don’t need to be fast, you need to be patient. First be patient, and second you need to love what you are doing.”