Driving through downtown Bethesda, there are the typical sights of storefronts, restaurants and shoppers. Now something new stands out amid this familiarity: a beautiful mural, with waves of color sweeping across what was previously the gray concrete wall across from Safeway.

This feeling of surprise will become common for Bethesda residents, as the non-profit Bethesda Urban Partnership’s Paint the Town cultural enhancement project is seeking to improve the area’s aesthetic, one mural at a time.

The project is designed to take blank, drab walls in public places and turn them into beautiful works of art, said Laura Foit, the Bethesda Urban Partnership Marketing and Communications manager.

“The [Arts and Entertainment] District is proud of the success of the first two projects and is assessing new spaces for future mural sites around downtown,” Foit said.

The first mural, completed last year, is a rainbow-colored scene stretching across the wall on Arlington Road that separates the busy road from the Capital Crescent Trail, sitting across from Safeway.

The Arlington mural was painted by Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn, a Baltimore-based artistic duo who specializes in transforming common spots into vibrant scenes.

“We love bringing color to unsung public spaces,” Truhn said. “It’s really important to us when the location is centralized and used by everyone in the community.”

Whitman art teacher Jean Diamond said that urban art is a great investment for a community, as it can have a strong influence on the culture and overall health of the town.

“I’m very much for environments that enhance art,” Diamond said. “I think that art can always be integrated into our culture, whether it is on topics that are controversial, or topics that continue to advertise.”

The second mural, designed and unveiled this year, is a geometric multicolored mural adorning the Bethesda Metro Bus Center. The mural’s creator was Juan Pineda, a muralist who has spread his work all across the greater DC area, including in Hyattsville and on the Howard University campus.

Pineda was selected from a pool of 50 talented artists, and he said a large project like this was an exciting experience without too much stress.

“I would work on a large project like this again. Anytime, anywhere,” Pineda said. “An artist never stops creating.”