Bob started creative design projects in the early 1970s designing furniture, clothing, lighting and fashion accessories.

In the mid 1980s lighting captured the bulk of Bob’s work. His accomplishments include creating custom lumination for retail centers in Jakarta, Indonesia (the world’s largest chandelier at 12 tons of brass and glass), hotels in Asia, restaurants/hotels in Hawaii, mainland USA and Europe. In addition his lighting designs are located in airports, convention centers, churches and public buildings, and in San Francisco one can see Bob’s work at the Yerba Buena Gardens Center of Arts, City Hall, Museum of Modern Art, US Court of Appeals, Asian Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art and more than 100 other major projects.

Center for Clinical Science Research, Stanford University, California – Bob designed a new type of recessed fluorescent lighting that is now copied throughout the industry.

San Francisco City Hall wins International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Award of Merit – Taylor/Stokes Lighting used the original drawings and photographs of the 1915 building as the basis for their lighting scheme and new fixtures. Care was taken to provide a sense of the historic design for City Hall, while providing efficient, low cost lighting, whether through manufacturing new fixtures or refurbishing existing ones.

"Remember Pearl Harbor" is a collection of twelve stainless steel and glass sculptures created by Bob to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II. The sculptures are the centerpiece of a forty-five foot diameter fountain in front of the US Navy Base Headquarters at Pearl Harbor. Bob designed the art project from conception to completion and won two design awards in the process.

In addition, Bob has created art work for Norton Simon, Philanthropist; George Lucas, film maker; Ralph Lauren, Clothes Designer; Philip Johnson, Architect; Sir Norman Foster, Architect; and Pope John Paul II. Private Collections include Bob’s art pieces for Paul Mitchell Products and former President Bill Clinton.

Bob Stokes moved to Port Angeles, WA, in the mid-2000s. He founded Studio Bob. Housed in a historical upstairs building that served, among other things, as a bowling alley and a Moose Lodge, Studio Bob was a place for artists to work and hold art showings and other events. He co-founded and organized a monthly art walk, called "Second Weekend Art Event". Branching out he was involved in a downstairs art gallery, a foundary, and helped in the creation of the Port Angeles Arts Council.

Most recent projects completed by Bob include the following projects in Port Angeles, WA: Downtown Benches (received state design award), the Sara Series, the Robert Sculpture (commissioned piece by private resident-2007), Custom Wall Weavings (commissioned pieces by private individual-2008), Avenue of the People (commissioned joint project with the City, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Association and private donors of Port Angeles). The Avenue of the People has recently won the “Excellence in Downtown Revitalization” award from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.

Alongside his sculptures, he returned to lighting design, including several large projects for Hawaiian hotels, as well as projects for private parties. He created sculptures for several individuals. He created the 9/11 memorial for Port Angeles' Francis Street Park, using a beam from the World Trade Center, a series of silhouettes decorating a fence around a replica of the Liberty Bell, and, with Jackson Smart, a building-sized mural depicting the Pacific Fleet's historic visit to Port Angeles.