Stefano De Luccia, or Teco is from Brazil, currently residing in Berlin.       

He has spent close to a decade in advertising, working full time and being part of the great advertising dream. Advertising was the place to express himself and he couldn't get enough of it. We've all been there, haven't we?

Then, one day, he decided to draw some of his illustrations onto slabs of timber. It became an obsession. He'd come home from work at night and work till the wee hours of the morning on his project.

The whole exercise was like meditation. After a day full of deadlines, pressure, egos and panic, this was like seeing a shrink without the hefty bill at the end of it.

The project went on for more than a year, the whole process included finding the timber, getting it cut, sanding it, polishing it.

He tried to do it himself at first. But a termite colony with no respect for art (cultureless bloody cretin) destroyed his creations. Another time, he applied a coat to the wood and the smell of the chemical filled his entire apartment, giving him headaches for days.

Fortunately for Teco's health, he found some guys that were working with fallen trees and treating them naturally. He made eighteen pieces in total, and they sold out almost instantly.

These days, Teco spends the majority of his time pursuing his art and freelances every now and then.

He tells us he doesn't dislike advertising and that he has a lot of appreciation for the time he spent in the industry. Likewise.

He adds that no other industry generates as many ideas. Agreed again, except no other industry kills as many either.

Teco's paintings and prints are suggestive and invite the viewer to work out the connections hidden in them, but they don't always add up, and that's just the way he likes it.

In his own words, "I am an advocate of meaning, not of sense."

He never knows which way his painting will go. For periods, he will let the shapes in his art dictate its form. But then he might decide to insert some meaning into the background. Or reinterpret an original idea if another one pops into his head. The whole process is very loose and organic.

Teco believes art and spirituality are deeply connected, have been for centuries.

"Wherever there are humans, you will find art and faith," he says, sounding like some wild Amazonian prophet, "We are deeply connected to them both."

"That's why when we experience art or spirituality, we are instantly reminded of our humanness," he adds.

Teco uses spiritual symbols in his art.

"Even if you're not a spiritual person, everyone understands or is familiar with symbols like halos," he says, "These symbols are universal."

He has a big exhibition planned that focuses on the spiritual side of things and how we humans are so deeply connected to it. We're talking giant ten metre paintings that he plans to exhibit in a hangar.

We can hardly wait.