MIDDLEBURY — Until last year, Dr. Tom Munschauer was best known for skillfully wielding a scalpel and stethoscope in caring for Addison County residents’ beloved dogs, cats and other small animals.

But these days, you’re more likely to see Munschauer manipulating a paintbrush and palette. A well-earned retirement has allowed him to unleash artistic talents that for decades took a backseat to his veterinary duties at the Middlebury Animal Hospital.

And if you’re fortunate enough to be one of the 56 people on Munschauer’s Christmas card list, you’ve just received a small sampling of his creative oeuvre: A watercolor painting, around 4.5-by-6.5 inches, depicting a wondrous winter scene. He’s been creating them each holiday for the past 42 years.

It’s tradition that began in 1981, with a depiction of a collection of fir trees on a snowy landscape.

“I only sent out around 15 that year,” Munschauer recalled. “I had just moved to New York City and didn’t really know anybody. I’d left friends scattered throughout the country — some here in Vermont, some back in Buffalo, where I grew up. I had no family in New York, so I conceived of it as a way of sending everyone a Christmas present, easily.”

“Easily” is probably an understatement. His paintings are a true gift of time, effort and beauty. And as Munschauer has added to his circle of friends, his Christmas card list has gotten longer and longer.

Ironically, the artist left himself off the list for the first several years.

“I never kept any for myself and never really thought about it,” he said. “I had always sent one to my grandmother and when she passed, the ones I had sent to her — around 10 years’ worth — came back to me, and I thought, ‘Maybe I should be saving these myself.’”

It was in 1986 that Munschauer left the urban sprawl and cacophony of New York City for the green hills and serenity of Addison County, Vermont. He had already enjoyed a generous appetizer of the Green Mountain State as a University of Vermont student and was ready to settle in for the main course. 

Upon his arrival, Munschauer began working for the late Dr. Art Greiner at Middlebury Animal Hospital, which he acquired from Greiner two years later.

Combining a gentle countenance, kind demeanor and skilled hands, Munschauer developed a loyal clientele of furry patients and their friends during a 36-year run that concluded with his retirement in March of last year. Middlebury Animal Hospital continues to flourish with a cast of four veterinarians and a dedicated support staff.

Now fast approaching his 71st birthday, Munschauer continues to enjoy the physical dexterity and mental acuity of someone much younger. During this interview he bounded up onto a couch to retrieve some his artwork from his studio wall and conjured dates and anecdotes from his past with remarkable facility.

One could easily imagine him back in a clinic hoisting an ailing Pomeranian onto an exam table.

So can he.

“Believe it or not, I’m still transitioning into retirement,” he smiled. “Not having a purpose is difficult.”

He’ll soon correct that, vowing to become a more active volunteer for nonprofit causes in 2024. In the meantime, he’s been keeping his hands busy creating artwork.

Munschauer has always been a fan of the arts; his longtime support of Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater and other local bastions of creativity has been well known. But perhaps less known has been the good doctor’s virtuosity as a painter. He began harnessing his artistic talent in high school and tried to nurture it during his lengthy career as a veterinarian.

“I’m mostly self-taught,” he acknowledged, though he took a few art classes during and after his college years.

His favorite medium has been watercolors, though he began delving into oil painting just a year ago.

“Watercolor was attractive to me because you don’t need as much stuff and space (to create artwork),” he explained. “I think for an amateur painter, it’s often where you get started.”

His paintings reveal his talent, with some of his landscapes offering an almost photographic realism.

In fact, they’re so good that he’s been asked to exhibit some of his paintings at THT’s Jackson Gallery. The show, dubbed, “Thomas Munschauer, A New Path,” will open on Friday, Jan. 12, and run through mid-February.

Among the collection will be 13 examples of his Christmas card paintings.

Most of Munschauer’s designs come from his imagination. Some are Addison County scenes or landmarks he encounters during his travels. Others are inspired by photographs.

“Because they’re all hand-painted and individually done, the subject has to be relatively simple and easily reproduced over and over, with reasonable consistency,” he said.

Not surprisingly, the Christmas cards are generally winter scenes, such as a group of cows huddling for warmth in a snow-swept pasture, or a frosty full moon rising above a tree-strewn hill. Munschauer is drawn to landscapes, which he often complements with buildings, animals and, sometimes, people.

FOR THE PAST 42 years, Dr. Tom Munschauer has been creating personalized artwork for the folks on his Christmas list. Examples of that artwork will be part of an upcoming exhibit called “Thomas Munschauer: A New Path,” to open on Friday, Jan. 12, at Town Hall Theater’s Jackson Gallery.
Independent photo/Steve James

During this interview he happened to be scrutinizing his 2013 Christmas painting, a small herd of cattle that can often be seen in a field off Route 74 in Cornwall.

This year’s Christmas offering features a moon over a mountain scene, with a man and his dog standing in the foreground. Munschauer was able to play with shadowing behind man and dog, one of his favorite techniques.

With 60 paintings to make (he paints a few extra, just in case) during a compressed time period, Munschauer has devised ways to economize on brushstrokes and his time commitment.

Sometimes he’ll fashion and use a block print to reproduce an element from his original design — perhaps a cow image — in the remaining versions of the painting. He’ll then hand paint the landscape, sky and other features of the artwork. Sixty times.

“Before, I would usually lightly sketch out (the design) in pencil, first,” he said. “That was time consuming and tedious.”

Not that the occasional use of a block print has removed all the tedium. Due to the watercolor drying process, he doesn’t complete one painting before going to the next one.

“I might paint 60 skies, then 60 sets of trees, then 60 skiers,” he chuckled. “But I listen to podcasts or music while painting. I don’t create them all in one sitting.”

A major painting project takes discipline and the ability to adhere to a deadline. And for Munschauer, that means ensuring all the paintings are in the mail at least 10 days before Christmas. He used to start the process the day after Thanksgiving. Retirement has given him the luxury of a Halloween launch and completion by Thanksgiving.

He knows his paintings are appreciated by those who receive them.

“I go to their houses and see them framed,” Munschauer said. “So I know there’s a piece of me in people’s homes, and that gives me pleasure.”

So how much longer will he be painting for the holidays?

“Every year I say, ‘I’m never doing this again,’ but I will probably keep doing it until I can’t do it anymore,” Munschauer said.

Ellie Friml is manager of the Jackson Gallery. She’s been impressed by Munschauer’s many contributions to the community and is excited to see his recent foray into oil painting.

“Now in his retirement, Tom is making time to create larger format paintings,” she noted. “He is exploring a variety of imagery and techniques and has built a collection of works to share. I am looking forward to introducing Tom’s work to the community through an exhibit at The Jackson Gallery.”

Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].