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

J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story about an artist and a leaf is “Leaf by Niggle.”

The story follows Niggle, a painter who becomes absorbed in creating a vast tree, even though he begins with a single leaf. His work is repeatedly interrupted by practical obligations, including helping his neighbour Parish. After Niggle dies, he discovers that aspects of his imagined painting have become real in a landscape where he and Parish can continue their work.

Tolkien wrote the story during the Second World War, and it was first published in the Dublin Review in January 1945. It was later collected in Tree and Leaf, published in 1964. The story is widely read as a reflection on artistic creation, duty, mortality, and the relationship between small acts and larger purposes.

The title is sometimes confused with Smith of Wootton Major, another Tolkien fairy story. That work concerns a village smith and a magical star; it does not feature Niggle or his tree.