I don't really have a developed eye when it comes to critiquing pieces unless something is blatantly off. I still have to learn a lot of art concepts of why some things work, why some things don't, and when it's better to not follow those rules (which is why I find 3rd Thursday so helpful...always impressed at how quickly the instructors are able to suggest fixes that improve the piece). I'm the type that will say a movie is good if it entertained me for two hours. So basically, if your piece was a movie, I'd say it was good.
But of course that doesn't offer you any sort of helpful advice, haha. What I will say is that when I receive a critique, there are times when I'll immediately see that it will improve my piece and then there are times when I'll be on the fence. When I'm on the fence, I'll usually go with my gut feeling knowing that it won't be the only fork in the road that I'll come across during the process of working on the particular image. As the image develops, some things will come up that will confirm whether or not I made a good decision earlier on. And if I didn't, then I'll just make changes accordingly (with the added benefit of confidently walking away from my earlier choice with little hesitation). I'm sure with more experience those forks in the road will be less common.
