Akiane on The Katie Couric Show

And welcome back. You know, we were just talking about this portrait of Jesus before the break. It's called Prince of Peace and featured in the book, Heaven is for Real. You may be surprised to learn the age of the artist and her heavenly inspiration. For art prodigy, Akyana Krameric, heaven has always been in the details. Her paintings, complex, vibrant, and inspired by an astonishing spiritual connection. At just four years old, Akyana began to have visions of being in heaven and meeting God. She began translating those visions onto paper. Most extraordinary, the concept of God hadn't even been introduced to Akyana as a child. Her parents were self-described atheists. At six, she turned to painting, bringing her heavenly visions to life through her art. I get up at 4.30 every morning and I do art at five. Then I do probably two to three hours. Homeschooled and self-taught, she continues to paint six days a week and today has produced more than 200 paintings, all influenced by the same faith and heavenly inspiration that she has carried from childhood. When I paint, for example, the planted eyes, and some people say it's not religious, but I know inside it is everything I do that has a meaning of spirituality. Now, Akyana was just 10 years old in that video. She's now 18 and some of her paintings are worth more than a million dollars. Akyana, thank you so much for being here. Thank you. It's an honor. So, you were just four years old when you believe you started hearing voices from heaven. Yes, and I just came through a family that was not religious at all, but when I started having, receiving these visions at four, it was just way too complex to describe them through words, and the only thing I could use was colors. You started painting and drawing, and this is the Prince of Peace, which I mentioned earlier, and you were only, I cannot believe this, eight years old when you painted this? I was, I was, but the image came to me ever since I was three and a half, four years old, but it was like a blurry, like an image, but it was only when I was eight years old when this carpenter came knocking on our door, when I said, this is the perfect time to paint the story of love, unity, and peace. A carpenter, of course. That, when I heard that, I was like, wow, okay, that makes sense. And actually, some researchers actually analyzed my work, and they compared the Shroud of Turin with my work, this particular painting, and they said it was almost 80 to 90 percent accuracy. Tell me about this next painting. You were how old when you painted this? This is when I was 10. It's called Creation, and this actually happened by accident. It was a time where I just let myself go, and I just, somehow this place came about, and I just remembered that this was the place I used to, to visit as a child. And your, your dad's in the audience, your dad, Mark. And hi, Mark. What, what did you think as, as Akiana said, you guys were not a religious family at all. When, when she started talking about this and painting these things, what was your reaction? At first, I didn't understand where this came from. We weren't, you know, I was an agnostic. My wife's an atheist, and we didn't speak it in the house, but to this day, I still, still can't figure it out, but it's, it's, I was just shocked. Have you changed? Are you now more religious as a result of Akiana's work? Yeah, I'm more, I'm more, yeah, yeah. Let's go. There is life after death. Let's go to, sorry? There is life after death. Well, that's what a lot of people I know think, and, and, and are wondering a lot more, I think, after watching this show. Tell me about this final painting. This is actually called I Am, and it was one of the most, hardest painting that I've ever done. I think it's because based on the question of who are we, why are we here, and, and, and, and what, what's, what's this place about? This took six and a half months to paint. Six and a half, six and a half months, and it's, I think it's because I just wanted to capture that moment of self-realization of who we are, and why are we here, and that's when I wanted to capture this painting, because I know that everybody's so, in my opinion, everybody's perfect. Everybody is irreplaceable and unique, and I want people to, to get inspired by looking at this painting. I know you have fewer visions now. Does that worry you? It does a little bit, but I know that it will come naturally as I get older, because when I was younger, this voice told me just, just be prepared not to, to receive any more. I know it's going to come sooner or later. Well, your paintings are extraordinary, to say the least. Akyana, thank you so much. Thank you. And coming up next, Mary Colton and Akyana will answer some of your questions about heaven.