Pakan Penn, a Cambodian-born resident of the Washington, D.C area, is an oil painter of many dimensions. His artistic range encompasses painting in various techniques -- from abstract, impressionism, semi-impressionism, realism, to portraiture. Innovating with color, interplayed with light and shadow, Pakan vividly conveys motion across a moment in time through strokes of the palette knife and brush. His artwork has been displayed and published internationally. Pakan was honored to present a painting of the Chicago Skyline to the former U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, along with having several of his pieces displayed in the West Wing for eight years. His works have graced the walls of the U.S. Embassies in Luxembourg and Port Louis, Mauritius along with the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C. More recently, Pakan was featured as the Lifestyle Artist in the December 2017 edition of the Washington Life Magazine. In 2021 and 2023, the American Art Awards, juried by the top 25 U.S. galleries, named Penn the World’s Best Animal Impressionist. In 2022, his Keeping Secrets oil painting captured first place in the category of impressionism landscape with life. “To me, art is life,” he says. “Art saved my life. The reason that I’m still alive today is because of art, and I will never quit painting ever, as long as I’m able to do so. It continues to inspire, challenge, and intrigue me.” - Pakan Penn