About Gaia Tone Art

Massimo Pintus | Founder, Gongsmith & Sonic Alchemist

Massimo Pintus is the founder of Gaia Tone Art, a sound artist, metalworker, and improvisational musician whose work bridges sculpture, resonance, and spirit. Originally from Italy and now based in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Massimo has been working as an artist, teacher, and maker since 2005.

His journey began in London, England, where a deep passion for musical improvisation led him to study with Swedish composer Par Albhom. That mentorship ignited a connection to metal as a medium—not just for structure, but for sound. In 2008, Massimo embarked on an intensive three-year program with gong-maker and composer Manfred Bleffert in California, studying composition, contemporary music, improvisation, and pedagogy. It was there that he began to shape his own path as a gong maker.

Each piece begins with presence: feet grounded, breath attuned, and hands listening. The process of creation is physical and meditative—expanding the metal, drawing it inward, and tuning it through repetition and care. Through this, Massimo allows the instrument to take on a voice of its own. What he forges is not just an object, but a vessel—one that carries the energetic imprint of earth, song, and soul.

Massimo’s instruments are infused with crystalline frequencies, sacred geometries, and intentional symbolism, often created in collaboration with visual artist Lynn Bush. He believes that no part of us exists apart from this planet, and his instruments are made to hold that memory—of where we come from, and what we are. Whether used in healing, meditation, or performance, each gong or chime is built to resonate not only in space, but through the human experience.

Massimo continues to collaborate with musicians and healers, occasionally offering sound journeys and meditations to share the evolving voice of his creations.