In that year his design for a town hall won first prize, and in 1950 he studied interior and industrial design, ceramics and painting at the UCLA.
接著，他到加州大學研究繪畫、工業設計與陶瓷，並曾追隨有「現代建築設計始祖」之稱的葛羅比斯工作。其間大陸淪陷，陳其寬有家歸不得，遂至美國麻省理工學院任教。思親懷鄉的愁緒，化成一股作畫的動力，民國卅八年至四十三年返台前，是陳其寬畫作最多的時期。