在本省現代畫壇，以獨特的優美而抒情的色感造形享譽畫壇的賴傳鑑先生，題材上亦相當廣泛，但他作畫以不主張「現場主義」及「寫生」來完成作品。他認為創作非自然的模仿與再現，而是解釋自然。他常以粉彩、水彩或速寫在現場寫生後，待回到畫室再重新構圖。早期他的作品多以人物肖像和靜物為題材，色調深沈，筆觸厚實，富寫實主義風格。

1952年結識李石樵、廖繼春、楊三郎…等畫壇前輩，對他的創作影響很大。尤其在50年代後半期，更師事李石樵先生，作品明顯的受到立體派風格的感染，從具象出發，逐漸加入立體派色面分割手法，再以加強色彩及詩的文學性來充實畫面內涵，而創造出半抽象的畫風。60年代開始進入半抽象時期，主題也變得多樣化，而賴傳鑑的作品也屢次出現所謂的「朦朧時期」的白色調作品。此時期趨向暖色系的使用，在半具象的「形」和平面化的不定空間之下，以色彩自身作為畫家個人主觀情感的表現。70年代之後，進入形與色的柔韌結合時期，線條明快卻形式穩定。80年代至今，是賴傳鑑經常出國旅遊時期，以擴展新題材之意念，形象的描繪較前期具象，風格上常表現具中國風格的題材，也更趨向成熟與穩定，卻務求具有現代感的構成與色調。

In Taiwan modern art circles, Lai Chuan-Chien is renowned for his graceful images and emotional deployment of color. His subject matter is especially broad, but he is not an advocate of painting from life or painting outdoors. He believes that art creation is not a process of copying or recreating nature, but rather of interpreting it.
He often uses pastels, watercolors, or sketches to paint from nature or life, but then reworks the composition of the piece after returning to his studio.His early works often focused on character portraits and still life, which contained deep hues, thick brush strokes, and a realistic style.

In 1952, his interaction with senior artists such as Lee Shih-Chiao, Liao Ji-Chun, and Yang Sanlang had a deep influence on his works. Especially during the second half of the 1950s, when Lai was studying with Lee Shih-Chiao, his works were clearly influenced by the Cubist style. Lai's works began in a concrete style, then gradually began incorporating Cubist blocks of color that acted as partitions. An increased emphasis on color and poetry were used to enrich the paintings, creating a semi-abstract painting style. The 1960s marked the beginning of this semi-abstract period, when Lai’s subject matter became increasingly diverse. It was also during this period that the white-hued works that are now considered part of his "hazy period " began to appear.