FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) _ Pen, nib, brush, paint, ink and paper: In the hands of a skilled calligrapher, these tools become fluid instruments to convey emotion through forms, especially letters.

From the earliest renderings on cave walls to Assyrian etchings on beeswax and Egyptian hieroglyphics on papyrus, calligraphy _ from Greek word kallos, (“beauty”) plus graph (“writing”) _ has gone beyond plain penmanship, as scribes explored the creative possibilities of lettering.

For more than 50 years, Jan Petrucci, a Flagstaff resident since 1988, has been learning the fine art of calligraphy and expounding its virtues to the public.

“I welcome the chance to speak for the calligraphic arts,” Petrucci said. “I love to show the difference between hand-lettering and computer enhanced. It’s about passion and feeling flowing from the end of a tool.”

Petrucci said the warmth of hand-lettering is not as popular as it once was.

KTAR