“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19)
Some drawings begin with an idea. Others begin with a building that won’t leave you alone. Michael Aldag’s graphite drawing Barren (Vacant Annex) (2009) started with the second kind, and it still carries the quiet that comes from a place that has been emptied out.
A Building Down the Street
Aldag made the drawing while he was in college. The subject stood not far from his apartment in Columbus, Ohio. It had once been the home of St. Cyprian of Carthage Episcopal Church. Behind the church stood the structure he drew, which likely served as a rectory at one time. The congregation had relocated, and the church building was put up for sale.
The site intrigued him, and he wanted to dig into it through his art. The result is a 30 x 22 inch graphite drawing of a door and the walls around it.
What the Drawing Shows
The composition is simple and deliberate. A wooden door has a decorative metal cross over its small square window. Above the arch of the door sits a rectangular window with diamond patterning. In front of the door, a dead tree leans against the building.
That tree changes the whole mood. A place that once welcomed people now has a lifeless thing propped against its entrance.
Scripture and the Withered Tree
Aldag draws on the Bible in this piece. He notes that Jesus often uses plants in his teaching, including vines, branches, thorns, and seeds. Two passages in particular echo in the drawing.
In Matthew 15:13, Jesus says that every plant his heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. The leaning tree looks exactly like that, uprooted and tossed to the side.
The drawing also recalls the barren fig tree in Matthew 21:18-19. Jesus, hungry on his way back to the city, finds a fig tree with nothing but leaves. He tells it that it will never bear fruit again, and it withers immediately. The word “Barren” in the title points straight to that story.
Read this way, the vacant annex is more than a sad building. It becomes an image of fruitlessness, of a place that has stopped bearing what it was built to bear.
Small Details, Large Feeling
Aldag says he enjoys the little details of this piece, and they are worth slowing down for.
- A small vine of ivy has crept across the window above the door.
- The light fixture beside the door is missing its bulb.
- The textured stone of the building seems to fade off at the edges.
Each detail speaks of neglect and the slow work of time. Ivy takes ground when no one is tending it. A fixture with no bulb has stopped lighting the way for anyone. Stone that fades into the paper suggests a place already half-forgotten.
Together they build what Aldag describes as a sense of loss that permeates the entire piece.
A Second Life in 2026
The drawing found a new audience this year. The Illinois Art League holds an annual membership show, and for the 2026 exhibition it allowed members to enter work completed in any year. Usually, entries must have been made within the last two years. Aldag entered Barren (Vacant Annex), made in 2009, and the judge awarded it Honorable Mention in the Professional Category.
It is a pleasing reversal. A drawing of an abandoned building, set aside for years, was recognized in a room full of new work.
About the Artist
Aldag is a fine artist born and raised in Southern Illinois, and the Midwest landscape appears in his work through his eyes. He often brings forward a prophetic voice he hears in the world, one that goes unheard. He has exhibited in many juried shows, sold work to collectors, and won numerous awards. In 2022 he was in the two-artist exhibition Community Faces and Places at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. In 2023 he was named an Esteemed Listee in the Marquis Who’s Who in America Biographical Registry, and in 2024 he took First Place for Photography in the Illinois Art League Membership Show in East Peoria.
For Aldag, art is both self-expression and self-reflection. The media and subjects change, but sobriety is the connecting thread. Barren (Vacant Annex) is a clear example of it.
Explore More of Michael Aldag’s Work
Browse the Portfolio: Discover more of his photographs, prints, and experimental pieces at michaelaldag.carbonmade.com.
- Stay Updated on Facebook: Follow Michael Aldag Fine Artist for news about exhibitions and new work.
- Collect His Work: Original pieces are available through the Illinois State Museum Shop.