Waugh studied at Croydon School of Art and the Royal College of Art. ‘...Later I was into ton-up boys and cars... When Ruth Borchard asked me to do a self portrait I tried to do it using my typical subject matter at that time, as I was not a portrait painter.’ Waugh’s big eyes, thick eyebrows and hair against gaunt features, are tersely framed in reflected close-up. The dramatic lighting and shadowings are reminiscent of German Expressionist art and film. The oncoming car illuminates Waugh’s startled, haunted look and the mirrored car interior. The two crimson back lights on the car in front appear as bloody warning symbols. We are reminded just how vulnerable a person in a car at night can be. The roadside speed sign and the white road markings help delineate rational limits to both the outer and inner journeys.