[HUMAN] Claire Durand

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BASICS

Name: Claire Durand.

Nickname: None, at the moment.

Age: 28.

Birthday: February 9th.

Sign: Aquarius.

Gemstone: Turquoise.

Blood Type: O+.

Fav. Food: Olives, chocolate.

Hated Food: Eggplant, wine -- most bitter things, excluding dark chocolate.

School: None -- she's long out of school.

Hobbies:

Photography: Whenever she goes out, Claire keeps her camera tucked in her bag, and she’ll reach for it to snap a photo of anything interesting -- from a person with interesting fashion sense to a cloud formation. After all, even though her art deals with the outlandish and strange, it needs to be based on reality, and she keeps folders upon folders of reference photos.

Collecting: Claire keeps an impressive collection of glass sculptures and vases, mostly abstract shapes, and imperfect or even broken pieces. She also collects masks of almost every type available, especially Venetian, Beijing opera, and ‘nightmarish’ masks; masked figures often feature prominently in her work, as she’s fascinated with both figurative and literal masks.

Scents: Whether it’s a whiff of cinnamon or peppermint oil to wake and focus herself in the morning, some lavender soap in the bath to calm herself, or sandalwood incense to help her focus while she paints, Claire always keeps some kind of scented object close at hand. Lavender is her favorite scent, with peppermint a close second.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Claire has deep-set, pale blue-gray eyes, perpetually half-lidded and almost bored or lazy.

Hair: Black, cut in a boyish pixie cut like this.

Face: Claire has very pale, cool-toned skin (she sunburns very easily), and a heart-shaped face, with a narrow, stubborn chin, and angular cheekbones. She usually wears some subdued silvery grey eyeshadow and nude lipstick, if she wears makeup at all.

Clothes: Although she vowed to leave the life of a lawyer behind her, Claire wound up keeping many things anyhow -- especially her wardrobe. She wears snappy blazers with slacks and pumps, trenchcoats and knee-high leather boots, empire waist tops and jeans with ankle boots, so on and so forth. She favors rich blues and purples for her tops, and black or white for her slacks or skirts. No matter what, she always looks fashionable and neatly put-together, like she’s ready to walk into an art showing (or a courtroom).

The one exception is while she’s actually painting, as then she’ll wear a once-white T-shirt and jeans, both liberally splattered with paint.  

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Virtues:

Adaptable -- Tch, like that's ever stopped me.
Put an obstacle in Claire’s way, and she’ll find a way around, over, under, or through it. She’s always open to changing her mind, although less so with regards to big decisions (like, say, her career). She will try all the angles to solve a problem, and is open to suggestions, critiques, and new ideas, from anyone and anything. Rather than clinging to tradition, she embraces change, moving with the times and pressing forward. Her biggest fear is that she will grow complacent, and that her mind and art will stagnate and atrophy.

Independent -- I don't need any help.
Claire does not need to lean on others for support, and has never been afraid to forge her own way, of separating from the crowd to swim upstream. In fact, she seems to prefer doing things alone, and does not appreciate any insinuations that she can’t make it by herself. Although she’s always open to hearing ideas and incorporating them, she is also assertive enough to turn down pieces of advice and continue doing things her own way, rather than bending to every suggestion she hears.

Confident -- Stage fright? Never.
Never one to hide from the spotlight or shrink back from crowds, Claire isn’t afraid to stand up and speak out, asserting her opinions without being overbearing or arrogant. She’s friendly and willing to stop and have a chat with just about anyone, whether it be about the weather or the symbolism in Dali’s works.

Flaws:

Detached -- I hadn't noticed.
Claire is quite active and involved in what’s going on, and makes acquaintances readily -- but she is also mostly detached from them. Often she holds herself aloof from others, and rarely takes the trouble to try and empathize, or to cultivate friendships, preferring instead to let chance and coincidence dictate the extent of her interactions with others. As a result, she has very few friends, and might be described as cold.

Selfish -- I'm afraid that seat's taken already.
This probably stems, in part, from her upbringing as the only child of a high-powered lawyer. Claire is used to getting things the way she wants them, and she likes it when things are hers and nobody else’s. This extends from pieces of art to a restaurant table to people -- and that last can be a very big problem. At the very least, she isn’t self-entitled -- she is quite willing to work for what she wants, and she recognizes that she may fail, but she definitely won’t like it if she loses.

Moody -- Upset? Me? No. I just want you to leave me alone.
Her moods are unpredictable and hard to explain, even by Claire herself. When crossed, she’s prone to long, cold silences, then explosions of furious temper, and then she seems to forgive and forget by the next day. Occasionally she becomes a lot more active, going out and taking photos for the whole day and rarely painting. Sometimes she withdraws from others entirely, going into relative seclusion in her studio apartment with nothing but her art supplies and her wild imagination for company. It’s hard to tell which direction she’ll swing next, and this can be a little (or far more than a little) frustrating for those around her, and for Claire herself.  

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Current Occupation: Artist.

Business Description: Claire is a freelance artist who mostly supports herself using the money she saved and invested during her three years as a lawyer, relying on that for the bulk of her living money and scrimping and saving to make it stretch. As an artist who focuses on surrealistic architecture (as well as landscapes, animals, and people), she sketches and does oil and digital paintings, and experiments with other media as needed. She paints horror/science fiction/fantasy book covers and illustrations, sells paintings and sketches through her website, and takes commissions. She’s still a relatively new artist and is getting established, so that is not yet a reliable source of income, and she can't afford to turn down any opportunities to make money

History: Claire's father was a high-powered corporate lawyer with his own firm, and her mother worked as his assistant. Her grandfather lived with them, and he was the only one who never seemed to push her towards becoming a lawyer. She grew up in a very serious and focused environment, pouring all of her energy into studying and excelling at school -- she joined the student government, the debate team, and the Quiz Bowl team. Her grandfather, however, suggested that she learn how to draw, and she took to the hobby so readily that she also joined the school's art club, behind her parents' backs.

High school, college, and law school came and went, and she joined her father's firm. However, every year that passed left her steadily more dissatisfied. Now that she'd reached her end goal, she realized that it was hollow. Corporate law didn't seem fulfilling; for her, it was missing something, and even an impressive salary couldn't make up the difference.

Over the course of two years, she turned more and more often to art as an escape, until her grandfather stepped in again, and suggested that she might like that better. It took her another year to make up her mind, and then she resigned from the firm and took up art full-time.

Family:

Emile Durand -- Claire's grandfather, who lives with her parents. He encouraged her art and has always been there for a story or a critique. She's still very close to him, but doesn't meet him much any more, as she doesn't want to deal with her parents.

Olivier Durand -- Claire's father, a high-powered lawyer. Understandably upset at her for resigning from his firm; he cut off financial support to her. Claire feels rather distant from him, as they never did interact much outside of work. He was always very busy and very preoccupied, and left most of Claire's upbringing up to his wife.

Jacqueline Durand -- Claire's mother, who assists her father with paperwork, and handles all the housework at home. She doesn't quite know what to think of Claire's sudden career change, and although she tries to maintain a disapproving facade, her indecision is fairly clear. Claire still feels affectionate towards her, but is also irritated by how she tries to imitate her husband's feelings.  

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Reserved for future Page stuff, hopefully <3  

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Relationships~