Menonday Art Vibe; Smoko

In Australia in the early 20th Century, industrial workers were given a mid-morning or mid-arvo break to officially light up their ciggies and pipes. As is the way of Aussies, the "Smoking Session" quickly became known as the Smoko. The term is now used in general for any break from work that is not breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and frequently these days, it has nothing to do with ingesting anything other than air to the lungs.

None of this has anything to do with today's picture choice other than the shepherd taking a seat and smoking. 

Anyone paying any attention here for any length of time will recall my love of sheep. (Yes - all farm animals, but the focus here is sheep..._) How could I, then, not include this wonderful painting? Not only did it feature the sheep, the shepherd, and the Border Collie, but the lighting in the painting is actually reminiscent of that which permeates Australian scenes such as this - although if you read the guff, it is thought to be Berkshire in England.

The sheep have recently been shorn, but this only accentuates their physique, which differs from what prevails today, at least in the UK and Europe. You will still see these leaner, more goat-like ovines in, say, places like the Balkans.

How does this painting make you feel?