About
Holly Whitstock Seeger is a fine artist and an author. As a fine artist, her current focus is on visual interpretations of both ancient and modern symbols but also paints portraits, landscapes, and images indelibly etched into her memory. In addition, she has been writing her first book, The Search for Otto Max: A Genealogical Memoir, the story of her journey through history to discover the life of her grandfather, a man she never met. The following is her autobiography.
Since childhood, I have always enjoyed drawing and painting, as well as reading and writing. At age 6, I remember being enthralled by The Secret Garden, and was a huge fan of Nancy Drew. Back then, I was also an avid researcher. Among my favorite topics were local ghost stories dating back to the American Revolution. Over the years, my enthusiasm for mysteries has continued, especially of the historic variety. This interest is evident in my current writing project, the discovery of the life of my grandfather, Otto Max Whitstock.​​
There's More to theStory
EARLY LIFE
I grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, where my dad worked for the Seeing Eye. We always had a German Shepherd, who served as a guide for my father and was much loved by all of us. Altogether, we were 5 kids, and I was the oldest. Each time another brother or sister was born, we would relocate to a bigger place. By the time I went to college, we had moved 5 times within the same town.​
EDUCATION
We all attended public school. Since we moved so much, I ended up in two different school districts—K -3rd grade on one side of town and grades 4-6 on the other. The whole town attended upper-grade classes together in the same buildings. My favorite subjects were English, History, and Art. Morristown High had two exceptional art teachers who encouraged me to pursue a career in Art. I went to Art School in Philadelphia where I studied Graphic Design, Photo / Film, and Animation.
ANIMATION, VIDEO, & COMPUTER GRAPHICS
After graduation, my first job was animating political cartoons in midtown New York. In the mid-80s, the animation business moved out to Los Angeles. The film industry transitioned to video, and my focus shifted to Computer Graphics for television and the Internet. Along the way, I married a guy named David Seeger because he made me laugh. We launched our company, Samurai Studios, Inc., and, in 1986, before kids, made the music video, “The Karate Rap.” Back then, the video didn’t make much of a splash, but years later, when our kids posted it on YouTube, it went viral. Very exciting! You can learn more about it here.
FINE ART:
Life was full. Albeit challenging, I did my best to set aside time for my artwork. In the early years of balancing small children and work, I mostly painted people and views of Lake Cayuga. While I still do figurative work and landscapes, over the years, my focus has evolved into a fascination with symbols using acrylics and recycled paper on canvas. I also create Spirit boxes crafted from wooden boxes, and Book Safes carved from old hardbound books.
WRITING:
My sense of observation may have been instilled in me as a young girl when my Dad and I would take long walks through town to go on errands. Since he was blind and I was certain he would be interested in all the fascinating things happening around us, I took it upon myself to describe everything we came across in great detail. In this way, I felt he would get a good picture of what I was seeing. I believe these excursions, which I treasure among the memories of my father, also benefited my artwork and writing.
IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
Many people talk about writing a book about their lives and family stories. For many years, I was one of them— until 2020 when the world came to a standstill. When I look back on the process of bringing this book to fruition, I remember the many deep dives down rabbit holes and run-ins with brick walls. I am by no means an advanced genealogist, but by this time, I do consider myself a veteran. When I began, almost nothing was known about my grandfather, and just a little information about my grandmother. If I have learned anything from this project, it would be to explain to my children and grandchildren more about the times I lived in. Especially in light of all the questions I wish I had asked when my parents and grandparents were alive.
ONE LAST THING
In the process of writing this book, my views on wars as mass manipulations of humanity have been further set in stone. Lives were destroyed as soldiers were moved about like pawns on a chessboard by those with money and power. Their sole desire was not for peace or the good of the people but merely to achieve their own ends. As one on the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation, I can still recall the anti-war protests held on the Morristown Green throughout my High School years, clearly to no avail. The beat goes on, right? (sigh). Will we ever learn?