Roy Davies began wood engraving in 1921 and his first published print, Cattleman's Hut was executed in 1922. At that time, Lionel Lindsay was also beginning to work in the wood engraving technique, and through the illustrator David Barker, Lindsay contacted Davies and invited him to his studio. In 1923 Davies exhibited 12 wood engravings at Tyrrell's Limited, Elizabeth Street, Sydney, in an Exhibition of Woodcuts; in the same year, two wood engravings were reproduced in Art in Australia. The artist exhibited regularly with the Society of Artists and held two one-man exhibitions in Sydney. In 1926 he exhibited with the Sydney Art Salon.

A wood engraving by Davies, The Back Gate, was reproduced in The New Woodcut, a special Spring edition of The Studioin 1930. The only other Australian artist to be represented was Lionel Lindsay and the British section included the artists; Eric Gill, Robert Gibbings, lain Macnab and Paul Nash. In 1930 Davies produced four illustrations to a book of verse by Danvers Power and two years later, eight illustrations for Ecclesiasticus, a limited edition by Ashendeñe Private Press of London. In 1948 he became Principal of the National Art School, Sydney.