It’s probably about time we steered away from the low arts here on Toad and introduced a little high culture into the mélange, isn’t it?

Luckily, such respite can be provided in a timely fashion by Edinburgh College of Art graduate Sarah Muirhead.

Sarah is a stalwart supporter of the Edinburgh music scene, as a fan, a close friend to many of the bands and – crucially – as a hardworking bartender in some of the key local venues.

In addition to this, she’s also a wildly talented painter. Her work, generally portraits of strangers she describes as meeting in a “search for interesting characters on the street and in bars”, is simply breathtaking.

You can see what I mean online if you click the link on her name above and have a browse about her site. However, the reason I’m popping a post up now is that you can also see what I mean for real if you head along to the Urban Outfitters store on Princes Street over the coming month, where her exhibition Human Zoo will be on display.

The official launch night, with sparkling drinks and delicious canapés no doubt, is on Thursday night this week. I had been planning to go but someone had to drive the Meursaults to End Of The Road festival because it’s too far for them to walk or something.

If you, however, haven’t got an excuse as good as that to miss it, then you really shouldn’t. I’ll just have to make sure I catch the exhibition when I’m back in town.