Tear-Free Critique Meetups with Yellow House

Yellow House Taos meets for critiques on a monthly basis (ok, first quarter 2026 we took a hiatus but they are back on as of writing this in May!)

What is a "crit" and why does it matter?

For starters, a crit is meant to be constructive for the artist. They can vary in purpose or audience but generally seek to evaluate a piece of artwork. This can be work in progress, finished pieces, or even ideas. Essentially we are looking to describe a work, analyze it, interpret it, and discuss whether it was successful and why or why not.

There are lots of ways to do a crit, some of which can be harsh and cause emotional distress to the artist. You are, after all, exposing the inner soul of your most precious and raw self! It doesn't have to be that way!! Other approaches are supportive and incredibly uplifting for the artists - that's what we're aiming for.

My advice is not to overthink it. Not everyone has to "like" your work. You also have the option to take-or-leave ANY feedback you get as you see fit. You hold the keys to your own kingdom, my friend.

Yellow House believes firmly in supporting others to strive for their personal best and showing kindness while offering constructive criticism. There is no need for nastiness here.

Basic Overview - What Happens??

Participants will line up their works in front of a group of people (generally peers and/or mentors) and give them some moments to absorb the art. The allotted time is divided evenly among the participants. Yellow House uses a timer to prevent over-share and make sure that everyone (especially the last to go) gets equal time, and we don't run over the event schedule. We all got places to be and work to get done.

When it's your turn you can decide to get a "cold read" or you can "present" your piece.

For a "cold read" you let your audience talk first - they give their impressions and reactions without you giving them background or context. This is great if you have no idea what to do.

Otherwise, when you "present," you give folks some background on your intentions/process, or ask for advice on specific issues you're working through, etc. If you are a talkative person, check yourself here. You want to spend most of your time hearing feedback or discussing evenly to get the most benefit. This is not an artist talk.

In Conclusion - You'll need to go to the next crit!

A crit is a fundamental part of the "art school" experience for good reason. Its a great way to get out of your own head around a work and level up. You'll get ideas from other people's work as you think about how you might've done something differently, or see some technique you've never tried. You'll get to know fellow artists on a deeper level. You'll gain confidence in talking about your own work in front of an audience.

You'll need to attend the next critique!