Chen's early works, featuring snakes and masks or men with knives and women with jugs on their heads, were rather derivative--until he discovered the functional side of aboriginal carving.
乍看陳炯輝的早期作品，實在不易分辨出是真正山地人雕刻還是烏來觀光區的仿製木雕，題材不外是佩刀的男人、頂壺的女人，或者是蛇和面具。但是當他開始認識到山地雕刻「實用」的一面時，陳炯輝也開始收集木臼和牛車輪。