The Scottish Gallery is bright and airy with large windows looking out onto the street. The upstairs room is stuffed full with Stephanie Dees’ wintry Edinburgh-scapes: an Edinburgh that freshers like me have yet to experience. The slanting uniform townhouses are juxtaposed with naturally unique trees; branches spreading like fingers, thin and spindly.

With a keen eye for detail, Dees conveys these with simple brush strokes or single lines. Her paintings explore the streets we live in; they could even be considered voyeuristic. They would be more so if there were any figures in the paintings– but the streets are left empty. The only signs of human life are alluded to in the subtle, unobtrusive lights of curtained windows. The snowscape paintings are much like Christmas cards without the clichéd decorations and happy children.

Empty benches often feature, sitting uninhabited and lonely, yet inviting. The untouched snow tempts the viewer. The sensation of being the first to step into fresh snow is universally enjoyed. The paintings dare us to stride into the landscape and experience the emptiness.

Downstairs is a collection of ceramics by Sutton Taylor: an array of pieces using lustre glazes, bright colours and mottled patterns. Two particularly beautiful examples are perfectly round with a healthy solidity whilst keeping a thin, gentle texture. There are two obvious themes; the first brighter, thicker and heavier with a camouflage style glaze. These are stimulating but a little garish. The second style is gentler, using a subtler speckled glaze that catches the light with metallic shine. These focus on the line between control and chaos: the shapes themselves are controlled and delicate whilst the glazes are like fires, full of copper and gold.

The gallery also boasts a small collection of jewellery including some big names; Wendy Ramshaw, Guy Royal and Paul Preston to name a few. With these kinds of names comes a hefty price tag as can be said for all the pieces. Although this gallery does have charm and the work is certainly noteworthy, visitors to Dundas Street can’t help but notice that these galleries, in the sense of being almost totally ruled by commerciality, are somewhat clone-like.