Odyssey of an Artist is the biography of Karl Momen, a tourist and visitor from Iran, who came to the great western desert and built, at great personal expense, the famed landmark sculpture Metaphor: The Tree of Utah as a tribute to the God of the universe, and then donated it to the people of Utah.
Skillfully authored by Herman du Toit, Odyssey of an Artist includes Momen's early life and the experiences that inspired him to become an artist. He originally went to school for architecture after his father told him, "Making art is something you cannot [count on] for the rest of your life," but after pursuing his dreams, Momen became successful and is now well known throughout the world as an accomplished artist and sculptor.
The Tree of Utah is symbolic of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon and is located on the edge of the barren Bonneville Salt Flats west of Salt Lake City. Momen created this striking landmark as a metaphor for the desert blossoming as a rose. Its trunk reaches heavenward from desolate surroundings and supports orbs that represent the major planets of our solar system. A visitors' center nearby will add to the popularity of the Tree of Utah as a tourist site and give visitors a place to relax and learn more about the famed sculpture, its creator, and the endangered ecology of the Great Salt Lake.
