‘Prince of Peace,’ a famous painting of Jesus created by Akiane Kramarik, tells the remarkable story of how God used an 8-year-old girl to share His love with millions around the world.
Like a master potter shaping clay, God can take an empty vessel and fill it with His Spirit for His greater purpose. Akiane’s story reminds us that God chooses people not based on their circumstances or background, but according to His perfect plan.
Akiane Kramarik Story
Akiane was born on July 9, 1994, in Mount Morris, Illinois. Her mother Forelli, a Lithuanian immigrant educator, was an atheist. Her father Mark came from Chicago with a Catholic background, but the family had no connection to faith.
They never prayed, talked about God, or went to church. They lived in a small shack near a cornfield, with barely enough money for basic needs. They had no television, no radio, and made their own toys.
Akiane’s father worked three jobs to support the family while her mother stayed home with the children.
“Our family had no money, no friends, no relatives,” Akiane recalls.
Akiane Experiences Dreams and Visions of Heaven
When Akiane turned four, something extraordinary happened. She began having vivid dreams and visions of heaven. In their home where God was never mentioned, she started talking about Jesus and describing God’s love.
“Most of my spiritual experiences I kept secret, so as not to overwhelm my parents,” Akiane said. Her mother, though an atheist, would listen for hours as her daughter described these heavenly encounters.
Akiane Discovers Her Artistic Talent
Akiane’s artistic journey started simply at first. She drew on floors, walls, and furniture. When her parents noticed her talent, they gave her sketchpads. By age six, she knew painting was her calling.
Akiane would get up at 4 AM to paint and learn from each mistake she made. She had a special way of capturing people’s faces and showing their emotions through her art.
Akiane Paints Prince of Peace
When Akiane turned eight, she felt God calling her to paint Jesus’ face based on her visions. She looked everywhere for someone who looked like the Jesus she had seen.
After months of searching, she spent a whole day praying for God to send the right person. The next day, someone brought a carpenter to their door who looked just like Jesus from her visions.
“I was speechless and humbled,” Akiane shares. She spent 40 hours painting and another 20 hours working with the model. The result was her famous ‘Prince of Peace’ painting.
Akiane explains, “The light side of His face would represent the truth and the dark side of his face would represent the suffering but the light in his eye on the dark side represents he will always be with us.”
WATCH: 8-Year-Old Akiane Paints the Prince of Peace
Through Trials to Triumph
Not everyone supported young Akiane. Some people wanted her to burn her paintings and called them blasphemy. Others didn’t believe her visions were real. But her family stood by her side.
Everything changed when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show at age nine. Soon, people around the world knew about her art.
The Trials of Prince of Peace
The ‘Prince of Peace’ painting faced a difficult journey. Akiane’s family sent the original to an art agent for an exhibition, but the agent stole it and held it for ransom.
After winning a legal battle to end their contract with this agent, the painting fell into another agent’s hands who sold it without permission instead of displaying it as agreed. The new owner kept the painting hidden under a staircase.
After the owner passed away unexpectedly, their family stored it away at a remote storage facility, refusing to show or sell it to anyone. Like Jesus in the tomb, the painting remained hidden from the world.
Fortunately, one transparency had been saved to make reproductions, and over time, this controversial image became the most cherished and collected of all Akiane’s artwork. It grew to be one of the most recognized pictures of Jesus in the world.
After traveling and working in 30 countries, something remarkable happened. For the first time in 16 years, the painting became available for acquisition. Sight unseen, one of the world’s most distinguished families purchased the original ‘Prince of Peace’ for $850,000.
Finally, after 16 long years, Akiane reunited with her original painting in an art storage facility in California. It was an emotional moment for her to see the work she had created as an eight year old child.
Colton Burpo Confirms Akiane’s Vision
The painting gained even more significance when Colton Burpo, the young boy whose near death experience was documented in the bestselling book and film ‘Heaven is for Real,’ identified Akiane’s ‘Prince of Peace‘ as the closest match to the Jesus he saw during his heavenly vision. This confirmation touched many hearts and strengthened the painting’s impact in both spiritual and artistic communities.
Akiane Kramarik Today
Akiane’s relationship with Jesus remains personal and strong. “Since nobody told me who God was, I found God myself,” she tells us. “I don’t belong to any denomination or religion. I belong to God.” She believes firmly that Jesus is our only way to God, saying, “He is the only way to heaven and joy.”
Today, the 30-year-old gifted artist uses her art to help others. She raises money for charities and wants to open an arts academy to help other artists. She sees her gift as a way to bring people closer to God.
Akiane’s journey shows us how wonderfully God works in ways we cannot imagine. He took a little girl from an atheist home, gave her extraordinary gifts, and enabled her to create art that touches millions.
Through Akiane’s faithful response to God’s call, her parents and siblings came to know Jesus. A family that once lived without any knowledge of God became living proof of His grace and power to save.
We might sometimes think our background, circumstances, or limitations can keep us from being used by God. But Akiane’s story reminds us that God can use anyone who is open to His calling. He doesn’t look at our past or our family’s beliefs – He looks at our willingness to serve Him.
WATCH: Akiane Kramarik’s Story
WATCH: Akiane Kramarik Shares the Story Behind Prince of Peace
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