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I think that some people (bosses, supervisors, even team members) do not believe in praise, simply because it does not achieve anything productive (in their minds). While correcting mistakes will likely lead to someone trying to avoid repeating a mistake, or giving results in the way that is asked of them (moreso out of fear or embarrassment), the type of people who motivate via critcism likely were not praised themselves in lower capacities.
Is this something that you can talk to her about? Tell her that while you value her constructive crisicism when you have not done a project correctly, you also would like to know when you DO perform a job well, so that you can repeat your approach/process/etc. again. Maybe it's a matter of how she communicates her directives. If she is not clear to you in your assigments, therefore almost guaranteeing that your results will not be up to par, ask her for five minutes to review the assignment so that you can "get rolling right away".
Lastly, she may simply not be able to change her ways. I have had a few superiors who did not believe in praise. They were the type of people who divulged little about their personal lives, kept their noses to the grindstone, and cared "only" about the bottom line and results. Praise has to do with emotion, as in, "I am happy with this".
Her lack of positive reinforcement probably has NOTHING to do with you. The best you can do at that point is either figure out how to motivate yourself (you must be doing an ok job if you haven't been fired....also how are your reviews?) or find another job.
Best of luck in whatever you do. When in doubt, quack like a duck and let it roll off your back.
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