When he reflects on his inclination towards traditional crafts, alongside the very region of Podpolanie that shaped him with its culture, he also thinks of his ancient forefathers. He may not have experienced them, but their craft traces were strong – one was a cauldron maker, another a basket weaver, a wickerworker and a well digger. During his life, he remembers Mikuláš Sekereš, who, as his neighbor, was carving Detva crosses before his eyes. But above all, his father, who although did not dedicate himself to any craft, had rich knowledge of woods and their properties, and in the beginnings of his creation, he greatly supported him by providing suitable materials for production. Jozef Murín’s traditional Podpolian culture engulfed him in the early 80s, when together with a group of peers from Detva and its surroundings, they were – in his own words – fiercely dedicated to producing Valachian hats, belts, fur coats, and other items. Several, like him, have persisted with the crafts to this day – Štefan Hukel from Stožok and Mikuláš Murín from Detva.

In 1987, Jozef Murín began cooperation with ÚĽUV by producing Valachian hats and woolen socks, gradually adding wooden utensils and combs, later also including brooches. In 1992, he established a business with the aim of crafting antique furniture, which had long fascinated him. However, he underestimated the real market situation and eventually realized that in Slovakia he could not sell it at a fair price, so he returned to traditional products. Knives also began to find a place in his assortment, which had long interested him thanks to Jozef Suj-Štádloš. He was his grandmother’s friend, employed as a blacksmith at ŽOS Zvolen, who in his spare time made knives. He told beautiful stories about shepherds and knives, which infected Jozef Murín to the extent that he started making them himself, more intensively since 1995. And today, knives are perhaps the closest to him from the assortment he produces.

He enjoys varying materials in his work – when he gets tired of wood, he turns to metal or leather. From leather, he makes sheaths and cases for his knives. He crafts knife blades from top-quality purchased steel, always focusing on the excellent cutting properties of the products. He adorns the knife handles with wood, antlers, and semiprecious stones, which he collects himself. For him, the defining factor in the wood is its structure. He selects the type of wood based on the product it is intended for – pear, apple, cherry, walnut for utensils, lilac for brooches and combs, and exotic woods such as snake wood or ebony, for knife handles. In addition to traditional production, he also creates plaques and medals.