The following character description was written solely for the purpose of a back story, and many of the elements, outlined below, did not make it to the final draft.
ELEANOR / CLAIRE (Played by Joanna O'Connor.)

She is based, thematically, on the character of 'Selina Kyle' AKA 'Catwoman', as portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns 1992). Alicia, played by Jerry Hall (Batman 1989). And the cliché teenage angst of 'Veronica', played by Winona Ryder (Heathers 1989).

ELEANOR is the eldest child of two. Her younger sister, LAURA, still lives at home with her parents, in Norwich. ELEANOR'S origins are quintessentially middle class. She had very few friends. And had remained highly introverted at High School. In order to escape her 'spoilt' back ground, during the late 1980's, a teenage ELEANOR had studied, at a London college, to become a fashion designer / model. She had an infectious enthusiasm to follow in the footsteps of her, then, idols. Friends had every confidence in her ability to achieve such an ambitious goal. ELEANOR had, at that time, a 'tear drops' tattoo placed below her left eye. It symbolised an inner sadness.

Whilst in London. She hears that one of her idols, LEWIS a revered visual artist, will be a special guest at a friend's party. Her motivation to meet him wasn't entirely altruistic. If she befriended him perhaps, albeit an elusive notion, he might become instrumental in the success of shaping her image and career.

They met and the attraction was instantaneously mutual. However, after they married LEWIS subjected her to both mental and physical torture. She left him, psychologically broken and dysfunctional.

When the story begins. She is in her early twenties, divorced and has spent some time undergoing therapy as a result of a traumatic experience. As a consequence of this, ELEANOR became CLAIRE. She had reinvented herself, quite literally, in an effort to disguise the past and its loss. Like a cosmetic mask to hide behind. ELEANOR / CLAIRE is, in many ways, the quintessential girl next door, yet this is dramatically undermined by her schizophrenic past making her a victim of her own duality. Whilst she seeks solace within art. She still needs the affection and means of relating to others. CLAIRE is very vulnerable and unsure of herself.
The above image is an early concept sketch for the character that became Eleanor. At this stage she was called 'Silhouette'.

The 'DN' symbol actually refers to 'Design Noir', which describes my ideological approach to art and design.