DENVER (KDVR) — We may not always see it, but beauty surrounds us, even in places we’d least expect.

That includes old, dirty alleyways, where the ordinary can be transformed into something extraordinary.

Artist Charlo Walterbach is one of those unique individuals who can make that happen.

He’s currently on a mission to ‘make alleyways great again’ by transforming ordinary garage doors into works of art.

Walterbach says garage doors are his creative outlet, a blank canvas just waiting to be transformed.

“It’s a lot of space we’re not paying attention to,” he said.

It all started as a pandemic project.

“We were in isolation and I didn’t know anyone around my house really, so I wanted to engage with my neighbors in a safe way,” he said.

To learn how many garage doors Walterbach has transformed into works of art, you need to immerse yourself in his work.

Each garage door contains the number of garage doors he’s painted, as well as meaningful symbols and words, hidden throughout his art.

“A sailboat is meaningful for me, kind of my signature. I often use hope, friends, and family,” he said.

The garage doors also include words important to those he paints for.

For David Smith, the garage door was a birthday gift from his wife.

“I think it’s fantastic. Its absolutely a great surprise. I love it,” Smith said.

“It’s actually for anyone who can see it. I like that. I like sharing joy through someone discovering something in one of my murals,” Walterbach added.

It’s joy in a place you wouldn’t expect. Ugly, old alleyways transformed into beautiful works of art.

If you’d like to have your garage door transformed, Walterbach continues to accept new projects.