"I remember that my first painting was of water lilies," says Shee. On the one hand, ever since he was small he had loved a description by an ancient Chinese writer of how pure water lilies were, "touching the dirt and the mud, but not being stained by them." Moreover, water lilies bloomed in glorious profusion in the summer in parks where he often lingered.
「記得第一張畫的是睡蓮，」施哲三笑說，一方面他從小就喜歡〈愛蓮說〉裡形容蓮花出污泥而不染的清純，一方面芝加哥公園裡夏天蓮花盛開，常令他流連忘返。