Nature is within walking distance of his home and part of his daily environment. "I live at the south side of our village, where, behind an ancient dyke, there are protected areas with their distinctive birds and plants. From my garden I can hear the buzzards and can see them build their nests.” The small lake behind the dyke, created when the river flooded in 1885, is Meijs’ favourite place. "In this beautiful spot there are many kingfishers. In the morning, when I take my dogs for a walk, I often see hawks hunting. I still recognise the scent of the plants growing there from when I was young.”
Sometimes it is the most common events in nature that excite and inspire him to start yet another water colour painting. "Simple things like a beautiful tree trunk covered with moss.” Jan Meijs mainly paints flowers and birds, including birds of prey and owls and also ordinary birds from his very own garden.
JOHANNES ADRIANUS ANTHONIUS MARIA MEIJS,
was already interested in animals as a young boy. "I wanted to keep them as pets so I could study them." He tried to draw all types of living creatures and, on his seventh birthday, he was presented with the collectors’ album ”The Veluwe Alive”. The boy was very impressed by the animal drawings of the world famous wildlife artist 
