How can an artist help the homeless? For abstract painter Jenny Simon, the answer was simple:she donated one of her works of art to a charity auction.

Simon’s painting was sold on Feb. 12 to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The money will help build low-cost housing all over the world.

The painting, a three-foot-square canvas titled “Intervals”, features a large field of brown bisected by a wide, speckled beige stripe and, at the bottom, Simon’s trademark “grass effect” of thick, textured brush strokes. A Simon painting typically sells for $2,000 to $3,000.  “But, as an artist,  I have to give back. I’m very sensitive to people’s feelings. When I see someone who’s homeless, I feel a need to help.”

Simon believes artists have a special connection to the plight of others. “I take in what I see and feel from all around, and I don’t have a very thick skin. I see someone living in a cardboard box and think, ‘That’s so unfair.’ Sometimes my frustration about that unfairness goes right onto the canvas.”

A Simon work recently won an award from the Pasadena Museum of California Art. Several galleries in the Southland, and one in New York City, feature her paintings.

Artist Jenny Simon's painting was recently auctioned at fundraiser benefiting Habitat for Humanity.

A major show also opens in San Marino in March. “My paintings are the mirror of my soul,” says Simon. “I want viewers to create their own connection with each artwork.”

Simon hails from Germany. “I am blessed and thankful to have the opportunity to create art. Therefore I feel a strong need to give back and help others, especially the homeless. There is really no reason why anybody should

have to live on the streets of Southern California."

Jenny Simon’s show “Living in Abstraction” opens Saturday, March 5 at the Absolute Art Gallery, 2326 Huntington Dr. in San Marino, and runs through March 29. An opening reception is scheduled for March 5 at 7p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11-6. The Absolute Art Gallery may be reached by calling (626) 285-8585.