ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Working and living around St. Petersburg's wastewater and sewage plants can be a kind of a smelly eyesore.

• Tom Stovall turns tanks into works of art
• He has been painting water towers since early 2000s
• Stovall: It's 'yin and yang of joy and tragedy'

But a local artist is at least taking that eyesore and turning it into a work of art.

Tom Stovall's canvas is not one but two water tanks. They are 240 and 220 feet in diameter.

His work is allowing the otherwise ordinary tanks to blend into the scenery.

"I think that this is something that people will slowly discover and they'll wonder, they will see it eventually on 62nd and they'll say, '"Wow! What is that?'"

Stovall's work can be seen on tanks, towers and walls throughout St. Petersburg, including a tower over crescent lake.

"Tom here has been working on murals since the 90s," said Bill Logan of St. Petersburg Water Resources. "He's been painting water towers here since the early 2000s. This is the next step. It's a huge next step."

All the painting isn't just about aesthetics. The towers and tanks have to be painted regularly to protect them from the elements. But residents that live nearby say it's nice.

"I love it. I think that the more murals the town has, the more culture it feels like it actually expresses," said resident Matt Donegan. "If every single blank wall had some sort of art on it, everything would feel just more alive."

For Stovall, it's a work of art that can also work his nerves.

"You know, I think it's the absolute yin and yang of joy and tragedy," he said with a laugh. "Just today it took two hours of jockeying to get things into position, get up there. Then once you start, all that evaporates."

Officials say the cost of the project is about $350,000. Most of that goes towards equipment and specially formulated paints.