At the age of five, he read an article which contained the line: "The color of the autumn water and the sky are one." This line struck a cord in Chen's heart, inspiring him to capture such a scene. Recalling his first painting, Chen said: "My father disapproved of painting, so I had to turn to my grandfather for help.
回憶第一次作畫的情形，陳其寬說：「五、六歲時，我讀到『藤王閣序』中『秋水共長天一色』詞句，腦中很自然地浮現海天一色的景緻，也有一股把它畫出來的衝動。