What is the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1945 story about an artist and a tree?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1945 story about an artist and a tree is Leaf by Niggle.

The story follows Niggle, a painter who becomes absorbed in creating an enormous tree and its surrounding landscape. He struggles to finish the work because of interruptions, practical obligations, and his own perfectionism. The narrative combines allegory, humor, and ideas about creativity, duty, death, and spiritual fulfillment.

Leaf by Niggle was first published in the Dublin Review in 1945 and later appeared in collections of Tolkien’s shorter fiction. Its themes are often discussed alongside Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories,” particularly the relationship between imaginative creation and the ordinary responsibilities of life.

The story is not a Middle-earth adventure and does not feature hobbits, Elves, or the One Ring. Its title refers both to the painter’s work and to a single part of a much larger creation, making it one of Tolkien’s clearest reflections on the limits and possibilities of artistic work.