Leaving Australia in 1902, Lever studied in England before settling in Cornwall, where he was able to develop his skill as a painter of seascapes, port scenes, and vessels. During this time Lever became increasingly well known and the recipient of a number of awards. In 1911 Lever and his family moved to the United States.
Considerable success came Lever’s way in America, including winning the Carnegie Prize awarded by the National Academy of Design in 1914, and being commissioned to paint the Presidential yacht Mayflower for President Coolidge. Examples of Lever’s work can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum (New York), the Phillips Memorial Gallery (Washington DC), and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Today Lever is still well known in the United States, with a New York gallery recently offering for sale works priced at up to US$95,000. What is possibly the earliest example of Lever’s work hangs in the School’s main building.