Why I Start Every Oil Painting with the World’s Oldest Pigment
The Oldest Pigment in the World, and Why I Still Begin With It
I use the oldest pigment in the world at the start of every painting.
Burnt sienna — that rich, earthy red-brown — is my first move on a blank canvas. This isn’t just habit. It’s a deliberate choice that ties my work to a creative tradition stretching back tens of thousands of years, to the very first artists who painted the walls of caves.
A Color Older Than History
Burnt sienna belongs to the ochre family — pigments made from iron-rich earth that’s been ground, washed, and sometimes heated to deepen its tone. Ochre has been found in ancient burial sites, on stone tools, and covering the walls of caves across the world.
In Israel’s Negev Desert, archaeologists have found ochre use dating back over 100,000 years. In Australia, my childhood home, Aboriginal rock paintings made with ochre pigments have endured for more than 40 millennia. Similar discoveries in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the caves of Altamira and Lascaux in Europe show that across continents, our earliest ancestors were drawn to this same earthy hue.
David Hockney once remarked that the first cave paintings were also some of the best — direct, alive, and deeply human. Stand in front of them, and you can feel the urgency: I was here.
Why I Use Burnt Sienna Today
As an Israeli artist working in classical oil painting, I’m deeply connected to this sense of continuity. In my Tel Aviv studio, I start every painting with a thin wash of burnt sienna across the entire surface. This is called an imprimatura — an underpainting that sets the stage for everything to come.
Technically, it does a lot:
Warmth & cohesion: Even under layers of paint, the sienna glows subtly, pulling the composition together.
Value structure: It gives me a middle tone to work against, making highlights pop and shadows richer.
Speed & confidence: A toned canvas feels less intimidating than stark white, letting me work more freely.
But beyond technique, it’s symbolic. It’s a quiet nod to the earliest mark-makers. A connection to every artist who has stood before a surface and decided, This is where my story begins.
Burnt Sienna and Jewish Art
Jewish art has often been excluded from the canon of “classical” painting, especially in European traditions where biblical stories were told from outside the Jewish experience. My work reclaims that space.
By beginning with burnt sienna — one of humanity’s first creative tools — I’m inserting Jewish stories into the oldest artistic conversation we have. The subjects I paint, whether Israeli landscapes, portraits, or moments of Jewish life, become part of a much longer human history of presence, resilience, and memory.
It’s a reminder that Jewish heritage is both ancient and ongoing, that our stories are worth telling in a language as old as pigment itself.
Why It Matters in the Digital Age
In a world where images can be generated instantly, there’s something grounding about a process that begins with earth, water, and time. Burnt sienna is not a “fast” color. It’s a pigment that has been dug, ground, and brushed on surfaces for tens of thousands of years.
When I work this way, I’m slowing down — letting the painting unfold in layers. It’s not just about making a picture; it’s about giving it the weight of time, attention, and intention.
That’s why I keep coming back to burnt sienna. The first thing humans painted with is still the best place to begin. For me, it’s not a habit. It’s a ritual.
Closing Reflection
Painting, for me, is about more than the final image. It’s about process, presence, and connection. Beginning with burnt sienna reminds me that I’m part of an unbroken line of artists — from ancient cave painters to contemporary oil painters — all leaving their mark.
And in my work as a Jewish artist in Israel, that mark carries a specific weight: the preservation and celebration of Jewish life, history, and resilience.
The canvas might be modern, the brushes synthetic, the lighting electric. But the color I start with? That’s older than civilization.
You can see more of my oil paintings — all beginning with that same first layer of burnt sienna — in my online store. Each piece is available as an original or as a fine art print.