The papers of DeLoss McGraw, artist, children's book illustrator, fine arts lecturer, and educator, document McGraw's artistic career from the mid-1980s to 2003, especially his use of literary texts in his compositions and his collaborations with poets, most notably W.D. Snodgrass. The collection contains correspondence with literary figures, friends and members of the fine arts community; brochures, catalogs and reviews for McGraw's solo and group exhibitions; and documentation of his public art commissions, including the Carlsbad City Library Sculpture Project. Also included are numerous artworks by McGraw, particularly monoprints for edition books and projects such as his series "In Response to Poems by Snodgrass," printed at Magnolia Press. The collection includes materials related to the production of the trade books W.D.'S MIDNIGHT CARNIVAL (1988) and THE DEATH OF COCK ROBIN (1989) and for the illustrated children's book ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND (2001), which earned him the Illustrator's Society Book of the Year Award for 2002.

DeLoss McGraw was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, in 1945. He attended East Central State College, Oklahoma; the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles; and the Art Institute of San Miguel del Allende, Mexico. McGraw obtained his bachelor of arts from California State University, Long Beach in 1969 and his master of fine arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan in 1971.

12 Linear feet (9 archives boxes, 1 card file box, 69 oversize folders and 2 art bin items)

Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.