Akiane Kramarik was born in Mount Morris, Illinois to a Lithuanian mother and an American father. She is homeschooled.

She is primarily a self-taught painter. However, she states that she is taught by God which is unusual for her family, considering they were not religious. Akiane started drawing at age four, painting at six, and writing poetry at seven. Akiane: child prodigy, artist, poet. Purchase Paintings and Prints direct from Akiane Her first completed self-portrait sold for US$10,000. A large portion of the money generated from sales is donated by Akiane to charities.According to Kramarik, her art is inspired by her visions of heaven, and her personal connection with the Christian God. Kramarik's art depicts life, landscape, and people.

At the age of 10, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on CNN at the age of 12.