Eleanor earned her BFA from UNC/Chapel Hill. She credits her professors there with giving her a basis in abstract and conceptual art. Later influences came from oil and pastel workshops with Lou Wilson, Kevin, Beck, Susan Sarback, Marcus McClanahan and Mike Rooney. Eleanor continually strives to improve her "use of color, value, drawing skills, design and composition," and "bundling creativity originality, humility, spontenity, push-on-ability and imagination in the process. It results in the joy of painting."