This gnarled old Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) won the prize for the Finest All American composition at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It belongs to Jason Eider. I borrowed the photos shown here from Oscar of Bonsai Empire.

Moving along with our leisurely journey through the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition’s prize winning bonsai.

Continued below….

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The powerful old shari with its marks of age and abuse.

I almost walked by this old Colorado spruce after a cursory look (thinking I’d see more the second time around) when it’s powerful weather beaten old shari drew me in and held me for a long moment.

Given that this feature lends so much character to the tree, the thought occurred that maybe the upward thrusting jin on the left should be taken off. It seemed to pull the eye away from that old shari, the very feature that best tells the tree’s story of age and hardship.

However, if you take a look at the photo below you’ll see that the jin in question has also been deeply scarred by time, and that it’s an extension of the deadwood on the trunk and serves to reinforce and enhance the story of age and hardship.

I think this closeup (my crop)clearly shows how much character and age the jin expresses, and how it's an extension of the shari.

Thanks again to Oscar (Bonsai Empire), for providing the photos.

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