Born in 1952, Meja first learnt to paint from his teachers, I Nyoman Sinom and I Wayan Serati. In 1970, he met Rudolf Bonnet and this has enabled him to further pursue his modern vision in art. First starting out with various themes of paintings, it was not until the 1980s that Nyoman Meja began to paint the world of children. Besides painting the popular joyous eyes of children, Meja is also renowned for his ‘depiction of light’ theme. He has a superb excellence in anatomical drawing, colors, and also light and shade.
Paintings of I Nyoman Mejaare collected by Puri Lukisan Museum (Ubud, Bali) and Agung Rai Museum of Art/ ARMA (Ubud, Bali). In 1997, he became a finalist of Indonesia Phillip Morris Art Awards and in 2002 became the winner of Indofood Art Awards. Meja’s passion in art also encourages him to become a teacher. Among his most talented students are I Wayan Matraand I Made Artawa. His vision of the future has also made him launched a gallery called “NyomanMejaGallery”, located in Monkey Forest Road, Ubud, Bali.