By Philippine News Agency ILOILO CITY – Twelve medical doctors in Western Visayas, who found solace in painting, got together to hold an exhibit and promote healing through art. The doctor-artists, dubbed “After Clinic Group”, depicted the beauty of life through their art exhibit, “Healing and beyond: Prescriptions on Canvass”, at Museo de Iloilo here. The group exhibited their artworks to raise funds for indigenous patients, said Dr. Eva Catedral, a member of the group, during an interview on Saturday. The group was called the “After Clinic” because the members’ usually meet at 7 p.m. after their respective duties in clinics and hospitals, she said. As an ophthalmologist, Catedral included in her paintings the diseases of the eye. Some of her paintings interpret what a patient sees when he or she has glaucoma, astigmatism, cataract, or color blindness. “Even when a person has an eye problem, it is not at all dark and dreary. There are still lines and forms. There is still beauty,” she said in an interview. Dr. Dureza Abad, another member of the group, said art is a great way to comfort patients, especially those who are suffering from depression. She also aims to influence the millennials, who are given “high expectations” of the society, to de-stress through painting. “Probably we could influence them on how to deviate and how to control their emotions through art,” she said. As a practicing neurologist in this city, Abad said she “tries to exercise” both the “left logical brain” and “right artistic brain”. “We may look calm in the outside but our system also complains with the stress in our work. The stress manifests in the form of sickness that’s why I want to be in relax mode. I found healing in painting. Painting has a connection, the healing power,” she said. Aside from the field of ophthalmology and neurology, the “After Clinic Group” also has members who practice internal medicine. Catedral said the “After Clinic” will also welcome other doctor-artists. The exhibit opened on February 22 and will last until March 28.