Portrait of an artist : Danielle René Pecor

I first met Danielle René Pecor on a tatami where she kindly allowed me to fly over her shoulder and land gently at her feet. We repeated this process countless times, and each time, I got to know her a little better because I would ask her a question about herself just before taking flight. I always got an answer when I landed. Aikido, the way of harmonious spirit, allowed us to commune with each other in a graceful dance where our spirits could express themselves through physical and metaphysical movement in harmony with each other. Practicing this martial art of introspection balanced with external awareness created the perfect atmosphere for community and family. She quickly became an Aikido sister and a dear friend. It was only then that I discovered she was a geek like me, and led to our first adventure together outside the dojo. We attended a Star Trek convention and visited the Star Trek: Original Series Set nestled in the Historic downtown of Ticonderoga, New York. She dressed in her Star Trek: the Next Generation Science Officer Blues uniform while I sported my For the Love of Spock Documentary Kickstarter t-shirt. We were beamed up to the Enterprise where we roamed its decks and met the aliens serving onboard. During our travels, I learned that her love for art was not only martial. And that was when I started scheming…

Danielle holds a BA in Psychology and Studio Art and a black belt in Aikido, all of which involves the cooperation of art and science, two seemingly diametrically opposed concepts that actually work in effortless synergy, creating incredible, enriching, and therapeutic experiences. She shares her synthesis of the two in her own artwork, which meant that I had found the perfect illustrator for my science fiction chapter book series. While I could attempt to describe her artwork, it would be a disservice, so instead, please feast your eyes here: www.daniellepecor.com. As if our shared love of a harmonious martial art and geeky things wasn’t enough, I quickly assessed that she is a natural teacher and loves to teach as much as I do. Her online art school called Artful Accidents (launching in 2021) and her dedication to teaching Aikido to children are just a couple examples of this. She would be a perfect fit, I only just had to summon the courage to ask. Her jovial nature made it easy, and I found my plot to esnare her spilling out of me. Her innate curiosity, desire to explore, and willingness to experiment whether she succeeds or fails, means that she didn’t run away screaming. Instead, she rose to the challenge and helped me create our first children’s book, The Monocle of Shai, the first book in the Kellan’s Contraptions series. Now, whether she realizes it or not, she’s committed to being the illustrator for all the subsequent books to follow, not to mention who knows what else I will beg her to illustrate.

Danielle is the most wonderful kind of friend you could ask for, and is a dream as an illustrator to work with. I will never, ever, ever, be able to thank her enough for taking this chance on me, but I’m certainly going to keep trying.

– April Dawn Duncan