Many of Povey’s paintings are of landscapes and urban environments of the Central Belt of Scotland, including Scotland’s main cities Edinburgh and Glasgow. A lot of his paintings hark back to the scenes of his childhood in West Lothian. He has frequently used photography (mostly his own) for reference but in more recent years he has been turning to his imagination for inspiration.
Povey draws inspiration for his figurative work from photographs, movie scenes, the work of earlier artists, and from his imagination.
His work came to prominence during his 2016/17 solo exhibition, Glasgow Streets, at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall, which was on during Celtic Connections International Festival 2017.
In 2018 Povey successfully organised and curated a Solo exhibition of his Edinburgh Collection, on George Street, Edinburgh, and was subsequently invited to show his work in the Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh later that year.
His paintings have been animated by animator Scott McHenry in a project to promote Scotland’s National Music School.