Sheraton Hotel - Ottawa-River backlit panels

Here’s a photo just received from the Sheraton, Ottawa Hotel. The panels were designed using the watershed of the Ottawa River in Canada as an inspiration. To give you an idea of the scale, the piece is almost 11 feet wide and 4 feet tall.  The art process began with a digital version of a Topo Map of the Ottawa River.

Ottawa River Map

Extra lines and graphics were removed.

The map was rotated so the river would fit on the orientation of the panels. The waterways were filled in so the scan would create shapes that could be cut out.

Rivers were thickened, and connectors were put in so that all the wood was connected and pieces would not fall out. The panel size was formatted with a diagonal on the left side to accommodate the sloping window. I worked with the designer on the project, Larissa DeMatteis from HCA on perfecting the design and composition. We decided to join the 2 panels along a waterway so that there would not be an abrupt line where the 2 panels met in the middle of the panels. After being laser cut, the panels had an acrylic, light-diffusing backing material attached. We also put in a small orange acrylic Maple leaf to illustrate where the city of Ottawa is located.

The piece is a focal point for the room while fitting in with the modern, clean design.  It must be fun for hotel guests to admire the mural, and then realize it is the local Ottawa River and surrounding watershed.

If you are interested in finding out more about this project, email Joanne at joanne@lightwavelaser.com or call 800-716-2116.