This was exciting.  My friend, Sharon Will and I had planned a night time painting session at the local ice cream stand, but blustery winds and occasional down pours forced us to adjust our plans.  We actually tried to wimp out of painting at all, but that is the beauty of the buddy system, you hold each other accountable.  We finally agreed that we would go and paint the dramatic sky for one hour.  The back of the local library faces west and backs up to an orchard so it is perfect for sunsets. We painted from the backs of our cars which helped keep the cold winds at bay.  This was the most intense plein air session ever!  The sky changed every 30 seconds.  Every minute was literally a new painting.  The sky started as gray with purple striped clouds with small peeks of pink and orange.  The orange continued to grow and finally the sky opened into a lovely green blue.  At one point a bright orange cloud sailed by and was made more dramatic by the backdrop of deep purple clouds.
I did not pay much attention to the foreground but I think I could go back to the same spot and work that part of the painting separately.

I am now hooked on sunset paintings!