Akiane Kramarik is ten years old and has already sold numerous paintings for over forty thousand dollars each. She is internationally renowned for her “Prince of Peace” and “Father Forgive Them” pieces. Akiane began painting at the age of four and sold her first painting at seven for ten thousand dollars. She speaks four languages and she aspires to use her God given talents to raise money for the African Aids crisis.
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RAS: Robert Anthony Schuller
AK: Akiane Kramarik

RAS:
Miss Akiane Kramarik. God loves you and so do we. How did you get inspired to raise money for the African Aids crisis?

AK:
Well, when I was four years old, I had a vision of helping the whole world. And that is just one of my things that I’m going to do. I’m going to help, like, I’ll try to help the whole world, poor children around the world, homeless children and things like that.

RAS:
That’s quite a vision for a four year old. That’s not the vision most four year olds have, you know.

AK:
I, myself, didn’t understand at first, but I began to understand when I got a little older.

RAS:
Wow, well you’ve had lots of visions as a young child. What are some of your other visions?

AK:
Well, visions of paintings, the “Prince of Peace” and the “Father Forgive Them,” and many, many others, I probably have, including my oil pastels, probably over sixty paintings, color paintings and all those are visions, even poetry, I write and I starting writing at the age of seven. All those are visions and I, myself, I just forget them; the way I can remember them is to write them or to paint them.

RAS:
So, when you say a vision, is a vision like a thought in your head or is it something you see when you close your eyes? What does a vision look like to you?

AK:
Well, a vision looks like a dream, like I’m dreaming of somewhere you want to be or dream of someone you want to meet so to me that’s a vision, and I think one of my visions is to help the whole world.

RAS:
That is a beautiful, beautiful vision. And I have no doubt you’re going to do that and do that very well. So, how did you discover you had a talent of painting?

AK:
Well, when I was four, when I was sleeping one day, I had a vision that I was like a professional artist. And I was like… I don’t know, I just saw myself a little older like at seven years old.

RAS:
Oh really old…yeah… I’m looking at a couple pieces, which are absolutely spectacular. What are those? Tell me about them.

AK:
Well the “Prince of Peace” and “Father, Forgive Them” it’s a like an awesome story behind these paintings. Well one, for many years I was looking for a Jesus model and I couldn’t find anyone who will present Jesus my Lord. Well, and one day I decided to pray all day and then the next day, a seven-foot carpenter came to the front door. And I asked him to model for me but it took the carpenter a few weeks to decide and he made a decision to model for me and this is how these two paintings came along.

RAS:
Amazing. That he was a carpenter. And he came to your door. Now is he a family friend?

AK:
Yes.

RAS:
Do you just sit down and draw that in a couple hours or..?

AK:
No. The “Prince of Peace” took me forty hours to complete it. The “Father Forgive Them” took my seventy-five hours to complete that painting.

RAS:
How do you do that? Do you do it one hour a day. Do you do it ten hours a day? Do you do it non-stop? How do you do that?

AK:
Well, each day I paint for two to four hours a day. I just sit… yes, I do six days a week, paint six days a week.

RAS:
Wow, that takes a lot of concentration. So, once you start painting, do you just keep going for four hours? So you don’t stop and take a break? You don’t stop for lunch?

AK:
No.

RAS:
Well that’s why you’re so skinny. And you just go to it. Do you get paint all over yourself then, when you do that?

AK:
Well, my hands and I don’t know how it gets to my elbows and arms. I don’t know, I have to wash it. Acrylics are so easy to wash off. That’s why I want to switch back to acrylics and wash my brushes easier.

RAS:
So, you were introduced to Jesus when you were very young. How old were you?

AK:
Four.

RAS:
And how were you introduced to Jesus?

AK:
I don’t know why, when I was four I had this vision and it kept going on for like days and weeks, and He kept coming in my dream and it’s like a face coming to me constantly. And I remembered ever since when I was four and I painted at the age of nine and eight.

RAS:
And the face you painted was?

AK:
“Prince of Peace” at the age of eight.

RAS:
“Prince of Peace.” And that face just kept coming to you and that’s how you discovered Jesus.

AK:
Yes. Exactly. And He started explaining himself.

RAS:
Now did your parents know Jesus then?

AK:
No. I was raised in an atheist family and I brought my family to Christianity. And I brought my family to God.

RAS:
What did your family say when you started telling them about your visions?

AK:
Well my mom.. when I started sharing my visions, she thought it was like a nightmare. But she was amazed when I was drawing, she was like, oh my gosh, is this like a ten year old, eleven year old, thirteen year old. She keeps going on and on. She says, this is amazing. Ever since she thought that I had a gift and I don’t know why. I, myself, I was really young. I didn’t know what’s a talent mean, so I didn’t know, so I just kept on drawing and drawing until I got the feeling of painting and here I am.

RAS:
It’s truly an incredible gift from God.

AK:
Yes it is.

RAS:
To be able to do that. Now you’ve never had any lesions. Is that right?

AK:
No, I am self taught. In other words, God is my teacher.

RAS:
And you have other talents as well.

AK:
Yes. And I write poetry.

RAS:
Exactly. I’ve read some of your poetry. It’s absolutely beautiful.

AK:
Thank you.

RAS:
You have a poem to share with us this morning.

AK:
Yes. It’s called the “Antle Ashes.” It goes with the “Father Forgive Them.”
“When life lies down on the song of a bird the resurrection returns my name. And I break the breaks of senses to taste the steady pain. My cross is nailed into me. I pity the fingers that scourged my face. The minutes hurry the hours, the hours hurry the days, the loyal faces approach in one along with every summer. Beside the flooded feet of love, hardened lives are turning number. Between my feet against the winds, my words will cascade through the strife. But if inside my eyes, you see the flying geese, the ropes will pause the next worn life. The seasoned time has buried signs and swings like a branch above a lost sandal. I step inside the antle ashes becoming new and larger antle.” Thank you.

RAS:
You have a dream of doing something with your art. What message do you want your art to give to people?

AK:
Yes. I want people to find hope in my work. I want my art to draw people’s attention to God.

RAS:
I think that’s happening. Akiane, you are an incredible young lady. And we appreciate you very much. And we want to thank you for coming, for using these little tiny hands, these precious little things to do such an incredible work for God.

AK: Thank you. Thank you.