Jeraj was born on 9th November 1937 in Ljubljana. He studied painting first at the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Art (from 1955/1956
on for six semesters) and then at the Belgrade Academy of Fine Art (1958-1960), where he also graduated from the department of painting in the class of Prof. Zora Petrović (1960). He pursued his post-graduate studies in painting at the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Art (1964-1966) in the class of Prof. Gabrijel Stupica (1967). With a scholarship from the British Council, he studied graphic art at Hornsey College in London (1969). In the Soviet Union he studied old Russian painting with a scholarship from the Moša Pijade Fund (1971). He taught at the primary schools of Črnomelj (1960) and Maribor (1962). From 1970 on he has taught art at the pedagogical grammar school in Maribor (now the 3rd Grammar School). His work has been awarded with numerous prizes, such as the Zlata Ptica (Golden Bird; 1972, the award being given in 1973), the Prešeren Fund Award (1985), the Jakopič Award (1991) and the Rembrandt Foundation Award (1993). Apart from painting, drawing and graphic art (from his initial monochromatic depictions of simplified objects, he progressed to expressive colourfulness), his works also include photography, stage design, illustration, writing, art instruction and professional guidance in this field.