Brighton street artist paints Great Dane named after Elvis

After spotting the amazing artwork on a Facebook group, Sian Barratt, her husband and their dog Priscilla jumped in the car and made the lengthy trip from Birmingham to Brighton so they could see the piece in person.

The street art shows a Great Dane peering inquisitively out of a dark hole in Upper Gloucester Road, glancing at The Edinburgh pub opposite.

It is the work of Mick Mowgli, who said he "wanted to paint something that would show how people that have been caged like animals for the past year would be reacting to the news of things opening up again".

Street artist Mick Mowgli painted a picture of a Great Dane he found on Google in Brighton... and he has now found the owner

Looking online for something that summed up the national mood, he stumbled across the picture of the perplexed pet and immediately knew he had found the perfect muse.

The piece was a hit and was widely shared in Facebook groups, reaching screens across the length and breadth of the UK.

It was on one of these social media pages that Sian spotted the familiar face.

"I'm on a few different Great Dane sites and it was shared on one of them," she said.

"Someone shared it and said, 'Is this Presley?'. And it was."

Priscilla with her dad Presley, who inspired the painting in Brighton

Sian, who breeds Great Danes, has owned four generations of the same family, with all of them given names related to The King - Elvis, Grace, Presley and, most recently, Priscilla.

"Someone put the name of the artist in one of the shared posts so I decided to randomly message him," the 51-year-old added.

They organised to meet in Brighton on Monday, with Sian and her husband making the trek from the Midlands.

Presley, who the painting is based on, passed away last year, but his daughter and dead ringer Priscilla was able to make the journey.

"It was a nice day out," Sian said.

Priscilla as a puppy with her dad Presley, who inspired the painting in Brighton

"I have never been to Brighton before, so we had a walk along the seafront and got some food.

"Then we met Mick at the painting - we're really pleased with it. He held Priscilla's lead and gave her a big fuss."

While Sian was surprised to see Presley's face appearing on a wall in Brighton, it is not the first time his picture has appeared in an unusual place.

"The photographer who took the picture works for a news agency in Birmingham," Sian explained.

"They just wanted a photoshoot with Presley and a little dog five or six years ago. He came to my house and asked if he could get a quirky shot, and this is what we ended up with.

• READ MORE: Incredible before and after photos of dogs getting haircuts as lockdown eases

"You can't see it, but I'm holding his collar while my daughter calls his name from another room, that's why he's looking around the corner like that.

"But I don't own the photo. I think if I did I would be quite well off by now, it went viral.

"He's on shower curtains, mugs, Christmas cards - my friend's got the shower curtain actually."

Sian has owned Great Danes for more than a quarter of a century now, and is hoping Priscilla will have another litter soon.

"I used to have rottweilers," she said. "Then one day, I was walking along and I saw this dog in someone's doorway.

"I knew straight away that I had to find out what it was, and it was a Great Dane.

"I told myself that, when I was old enough, I would get one.

"They are such great family dogs, I've got three kids who are older now, but they grew up with them."

At one point, Sian had four Great Danes in the house, although she admitted that working for a pet food company had helped foot the exorbitant food bill.

"Obviously, insurance and treats and everything adds up, but you can't help what you like," she said.

"They are funny, quirky, and just so lovely."

Priscilla as a puppy with her dad Presley, who inspired the painting in Brighton

It was these qualities that drew street artist Mick to the picture in the first place.

"I wanted to paint something that would show how people that have been caged like animals for the past year would be reacting to the news of things opening up again," he said.

"After meeting a few of my friends I realised we were all slightly awkward and a bit out of practice socialising.

"I know how humans can really relate to dogs facial expressions and thought it would be a funny way of depicting it.

• READ MORE: Shot and abused rescue dogs find happy new home in Sussex

"Then I stumbled across the image of Presley on Google and thought it was perfect. Anxious, excited and inquisitive in equal measures."

He had met the owner of the property, who was a fellow dog-lover, and she had mentioned that he might be able to paint the side of her house.

"I thought the location was perfect as he looks like he's popping his head out to look at The Edinburgh Pub around the corner," Mick said.

"A few days after painting it someone posted a picture on a local Brighton Facebook group and the picture was recognised by someone who knew the owner and told her.

Great Danes Priscilla and Presley

"She messaged me shortly after and I found out that, sadly, Presley had passed away last year. But she now had his daughter who looked identical and she would be making a trip down to Brighton from Birmingham to see the piece and take some photos with it.

"I was delighted to hear that and couldn't believe she would be coming all this way, I also love Great Danes so I was really excited to meet them.

"They were both very friendly and we had a little chat about Presley and then took some photos."

Presley's far-reaching portrait now brings smiles to walkers, drivers, commuters and more as they head down Upper Gloucester Road towards Brighton Station, and it looks set to stay for some time. So, long live The King.