180 degrees facing the clouds, does that mean it's lighting from the front (that is, the moon is behind the viewer)? That would explain why you're having a hard time, front lighting is the hardest to make look good, since it flattens the forms. If it's an option, I recommend having the light some from somewhere to the side, so that the forms can be more clearly shown. That would probably help your foreground too.
I forgot to respond to the previous image - I think it looks better, it reads much more like "here are lots of clouds" without any mysterious features. I think your 3rd lightest colour could stand to be a little lighter. It contrasts too much with the 2nd lightest colour, but has almost no contrast with the 4th lightest. That may make it easier for you to produce smooth gradations.