He grew up with five siblings in a carpenter’s family, who, in addition to furniture making and carpentry, also dedicated himself to carving and turning. When he died in 1935 at the age of 48, Juraj Leporis was ten years old. As the unfinished work needed to be completed and he had already learned several things alongside his father, he started helping his master and apprentice who remained in the workshop. Subsequently, he started producing children’s toys and remained with wood.

After finishing his apprenticeship, he went to school for two years. Although he had to cover all the costs associated with his education himself, thanks to colleagues who were employed in the workshop, he improved in several woodworking tasks. During the war, he worked as a turner at the Baťa company, and after 1945, he became independent, shifting to his favorite wooden toys — horses, carts, ducks. He soon secured a contract to supply goods to the large ASO store in Bratislava, and his business prospered. However, as larger factories began to enter the toy market, he could no longer compete with them, so he switched to producing school furniture. Yet, a competitive large company soon entered this field as well, so he decided to focus on carpentry. Here, he stabilized with work on building apartment buildings and his business was thriving again. However, in 1948, the social climate began to turn against artisans. By 1949, they were only tolerated, and the following year their operations were liquidated.

And so Juraj Leporis found himself at a tractor station and later in Ground Buildings, where he repaired the bodies of old cars. Later, he moved to a workshop for custom products, which he enjoyed, but in the evenings he still devoted himself to turning, which he loved.

In 1960, he established contact with ÚĽUV, which he didn’t even know existed until a friend pointed it out to him. He packed his products into a suitcase and headed to Bratislava. At that time, VácIav Kautman was the chief designer at ÚĽUV, according to Juraj Leporis a golden and wise man who understood the craft and the people. Although his products did not align with the direction of ÚĽUV, they saw that he understood the craft, and so they agreed to produce plates and plaques from the then range of ÚĽUV. It worked, and from 1962, Juraj Leporis fully returned to his beloved wood as a ÚĽUV producer on a full-time basis.

In addition to the design range based on the designs of ÚĽUV designers, he had the opportunity to fulfill orders for other entities. For example, based on his own design, he covered the dance floor for the Hviezda Hotel in Prievidza, and based on the artistic designs of academic painter Alojz Petráš, he created a monumental marquetry for the Military Rehabilitation Center in Tatranské Zruby or a wall for the Baník Sanatorium in Bojnice.

In 1981, he was awarded the title of Master of Folk Art Production. Through years of collaboration, he became one of the best turners in the history of ÚĽUV, known for his stable and open nature.