A mountain of lost mittens is now a work of art at this year's Winterlude. (CBC)

An Ottawa artist is taking a reality of Canadian life in winter — the lost mitten — and turning it into art at Winterlude.

Karina Bergmans’ Lost Mitten Mountain is, quite literally, a pile of lost and neglected mittens. The colourful heap towers high among the ice sculptures and other snowy scenes in Confederation Park.

"I think we all see that lost, sad mitten on a mailbox or someone's propped it up against a fence post or something, and we all know someone's missing that mitten, and it is looking at loss on a small scale,” Bergmans said.

But she also said there's a more hopeful message to her wooly and whimsical artwork.

"All the mittens are sewn together, so it's almost like we're holding hands in our loss on this mountain, and maybe it gives a feeling of warmth, too."

Bergmans said people have already been adding to the mountain of mittens.

"I think it's part of having art in public places, that people are responding to it, so I think that's very interesting that people will have that motivation to add to it," she said.

Lost Mitten Mountain is scheduled to remain in Confederation Park throughout Winterlude.