My most Frequently Asked Question (paraphrased)

“I’m desperately trying to find (Millie the Maid / Henri the Butler / Sir Hawthorne the Hound / other Bombay merchandise) because (I didn’t buy it when I saw it / I broke one belonging to my mother-in-law / my cat ate it…).”

Sorry.

All of that stuff was done for Bombay Company on a freelance basis; all rights were transferred to them as part of our agreement. I don’t even have a sample for my own archives on most of these. The ones I do have I’m not about to part with.

As with most stuff in their (or any retailer’s) inventory, they ordered only so many of them (say 10,000) and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Retail being the crapshoot it is, no one wants to sit on this stuff for years, paying for storage or floor space (I’ve seen it happen — it’s not pretty).

Occasionally I’ll get an email from someone (or a call on my message machine) trying to find one of the above mentioned items. Alas, the Bombay Co. went into bankruptcy a couple of years ago. A shame, since the people I worked with were all universally pleasant and easy to work with. I’d work with any of them again in a minute.

The company name, and presumably other intellectual property (including all the design work I did for them) has been purchased by a group of Canadian investors. The old Bombay Co website has a “coming soon” sort of message which hasn’t changed in 2 years. The Canadian Bombay Co.site is much more active. No sign of any of my work though.

It flatters me to know people enjoy these creations so much and I wish I could help. At this point EBay is your best bet. And if you have one of these you want to get rid of — go to EBay.

Other questions

I’m looking for the World Famous Ralph Art JavaScript Jukebox. Where the heck is it?
Gone – I finally decided to put that shit out of its misery.  I wrote the Jukebox over 20 years ago, and I no longer have the time or inclination to support it. There are much better ways to put that stuff out there..
Do you still take on website projects?
Rarely – in fact I’m gonna say almost never. I did IT work for over 20 years supporting a bunch of corporate websites, and I’ve enjoyed that insanity all I ever want to. If you are looking for a web designer, let me recommend my friend Kipp Baker. Visit his site at www.pixure.com
How do I get in touch with you?
Why on earth would you want to do that?
No really – how do I get in touch with you?
See the Contact page (I’m pretty busy these days).
Your name is Ron Crouch, right? Who is Ralph Art?
“Ralph Art” is a nickname acquired as an undergraduate art student in the mid-seventies. One of my gal pals looked at a recently completed painting, squinted, and said, “When are you going to stop making all this ralph art? It looks like you ralphed all over the canvas!”
Why do you have two websites – Ralphart.com and RonTaylorCrouch.com?
When I was a freelance designer/commercial artist, I used the business name “Ralph Art Design” (see “Who is Ralph Art,” above). I registered the domain ralphart.com in 1997 and have used it ever since. When I started to focus on painting, I continued to use RalphArt.com until my adult children put it to me bluntly: “You talk too much on your website, and nobody knows or cares who or what Ralph Art it – it’s confusing as hell. Show more art, and shut up.” So now I use RonTaylorCrouch.com as my portfolio site and RalphArt.com for most of my blabbing. Confusing, I know. Sorry.
Where will it all end?
In the grave.